Bundled Bliss
by elena-maria
Summary: AU:A rendezvous with a mysterious and dashing stranger was a mistake in Sophie's eyes. Would she ever think otherwise when it had given her a loving little daughter, whose presence brings the stranger back in her life?
1. P:Irritation, Convulsion, then Malaise

_**Disclaimer:** We do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

**Title: 'Bundled Bliss'**

**Prologue – 'Irritation, Convulsion, then Malaise'**

Sophie stormed out of their house and slammed the door shut behind her. She held one side of her skirt with a strong grip and walked with heavy strides, showing an obvious state of deep fury.

Her mother burst out the door after calling out at the top of her lungs. "You come back here this instant Sophie! We're not finished talking!"

Sophie stopped and looked back. She answered back harshly. "Oh yes we are, Mother! I obviously have no say with this so go ahead and do whatever you what! Go ahead and marry that man! It's not like I'm ever going to stop you! I have had enough!" Sophie turned back and continued walking at a faster pace. She heard her mother still calling out to her but she refused to stop.

Not knowing exactly where she's headed, she let her feet determine the destination. She walked briskly, muttering curses under her breath along the streets not caring on the large amount of people staring weirdly at her. Finally her feet brought her to the central plaza of the city. She decided to take a rest and sat down at a nearby bench since her feet where aching from stomping hard on the ground while walking.

It was at dusk and Sophie watched people scurrying to get home just before dinner. "What the hell am I going to do now?"

She stood up and heaved a sigh. _Just great. I've wasted so much time. I could have dome a reasonable amount of work for the hat shop. _Having that thought her sister, Lettie, came into her mind. Lettie has told her to do something for herself for once since she has always succumbed to their father's wishes. _Fine! I'll do something for myself!_ Driven by her anger, she headed to a place she has never thought of setting her foot upon. A pub. The thought of being surrounded by drunken men made her squirm with disgust. _I'll rather be that pathetic place rather than being at home hearing mother's endless nagging._

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Howl was walking along the streets, his mind filled with hopes of getting himself an attractive young lady. With his dashing good looks, it would not be much of a problem but he came out searching at a wrong time. "Where have all the ladies gone? The night is still young! They're probably having their beauty sleep. Oh wait! Maybe I should have one too…" He saw that he was approaching a pub. "Hmmm…. Having a couple of drinks surely wouldn't deform my face in any way."

He entered the bar with so much flourish and class but not one paid any attention to him. He muttered under his breath, "Damn drunks! So ignorant." He looked around and found a figure of a lady sitting on a bar stool hunched over the bar. Intrigued on how she looked, he decided to settle himself beside her.

He ordered a drink and turned to the lady next to him. He greeted her with bravado in a sexy tone. "Hey sweet cheeks, what's your name?"

Not looking at him the lady merely answered. "Piss off."

Howl ignored the fact the he was rejected, although it hurt his ego a bit. He persisted. "Oh, hasty! Had a rough day?"

The lady finally turned to look at him. "What in 'piss off' did you not understand? Are you dumb or something? Leave me alone."

Howl simply smiled at the remark. He had already seen the lady's face. Her face wasn't exactly sculptured with exquisite beauty, but Howl sensed a feeling of attraction within himself to the lady's unique and undefined beauty. He spoke in a sweet tone. "Oh, lighten up. How about I buy you more drinks?"

"That would be fine. Thank you."

"Great! Well since I'm buying you drinks, you can return the favor by telling me your name."

The lady turned her gaze back to her drink and took a gulp. "It's Sophie."

Howl took a sip from his own drink. "So Sophie, what's a pretty lady like you doing in this dump?"

Sophie's speech started slurring. "I'm no pretty lady." She took another gulp, finishing the drink. "Can't you see I'm getting drunk here?" She turned to Howl, jabbing her index finger into his chest while saying, "You know, I think that you are dumb. You kept asking questions when the answers are right in front of your face!" She looked at her empty glass. "Oh yeah, where's my drink?"

Howl laughed heartily. "Coming right up, my pretty lady!" He signaled to the bartender for another drink.

"Could you stop saying that! I'm not a damn pretty lady!" Sophie was once again jabbing her finger into Howl's chest. "And what do you mean by 'my pretty lady'? I'm not your damn property you asshole! Where the hell is my drink?"

"Sheesh lady! Here, take mine while you're waiting." Howl pushed his glass towards Sophie.

"Yuck! I don't want to drink anything with your spit in it!"

Howl gave Sophie a cocky smile. "You know I wouldn't worry about that because we'll be swapping spit soon."

"What did you say!"

Seeing the bartender coming with her drink, he said, "Here comes you drink!"

Sophie took the drink from the bartender and sculled it empty, ignoring the heat and the roughness of the drink going down her throat. She slammed the glass down to the counter and then waved her hand to get the bartender's attention. "Another one please!"

"Whoa girl! You're going to dry up this place!"

Sophie gave Howl a cheeky smirk. "Watch me!"

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The bartender approached Howl and Sophie who were now completely drunk, "Sorry folks, we're closing."

"What!" Sophie shouted in protest, her speech wavering. "You can't close yet! I'm – AHH!" Her butt met the floor as she suddenly slipped off the barstool. She started cursing like mad.

Howl couldn't help but laugh as he looked down at Sophie. All night, with the heavy influence of alcohol, Sophie had acted tough and bossy towards him. Although he was not as drunk as Sophie, he sure was light-headed. He turned to the bartender. "Thanks for everything. Good night or good morning, whatever." He stood up, pointing to Sophie, "And I'll be taking her home." He held out his hand to Sophie.

Sophie still on the floor looked up to Howl and spoke in a childish tone. "I'm hurt."

"Fine. Fine. I'll carry you just out of the pub okay?" Howl helped Sophie up and swept her off her feet into his arms.

Sophie placed her arms around Howl's neck and leaned closer to him. She purred softly, "You smell nice and you're strong too! I like strong men."

Howl looked down at Sophie with a leering smile. "Oh, do you?" He started walking out of the pub. "Well I like pretty ladies like you." He stepped out of the pub and brought Sophie back to her feet.

Sophie lost her balance, having her knees all wobbly. Howl caught Sophie, he face close to his. They stared into each other's eyes for one moment, and then shared a passionate kiss the next moment, their hunger for each other evident. Howl broke the kiss and asked, "Your place or mine?"

Sophie, not wanting to prolong the delay, answered, "I don't remember where I live."

Howl grinned. "Okay then. My place." They continued their kissing which became more passionate and fierce after every second.

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Lying in bed, Sophie awoke with the sunlight, peering through the windows, glaring at her eyes. Squinting her eyes from the brightness, she suddenly felt a numbing pain in her head. She let out a hushed whine. "Gah! How much did I drink last night?" Taking her attention away from the pain, her eyes paced around the room. _Where the hell am I? This is definitely not my room._ She suddenly shivered from the cool breeze that wafted inside the room. _Why is it so cold? It's not as if I'm not wearing any clothes. _And then she realized, _Why the hell am I naked! _

Sophie rambled on with what she remembered from last night. Facing the side edge of the bed, she felt a movement behind her and heard a soft snore. Being very nervous and curious at the same time, she turned to the other side of the bed slowly and came face to face with a man. Her eyes grew wide and she let out a loud ear-splitting shriek "AHHHH!" Knowing that she was naked underneath the blanket, she hurriedly got out of the bed pulling the blanket with her. She now looked at a naked torso of a man, who just woke up puffy-eyed, lying on the bed. She let out another shriek. "AHHHH! Who in the seven dimensions of hell are you!"

"Damn girl! Burst my ear drums, why don't you!" The man said sarcastically, while massaging his ears. Now realizing that his naked body was fully exposed, he sat up and grabbed a pillow to cover himself waist down. He continued on with his sarcasm. "And bloody, take my blanket, why don't you!"

Sophie clutched the blanket tightly. She reprimanded loudly, "You didn't answer my question!"

"You don't have to shout you know! Well then, to answer you question, my name is Howl." He examined the girl standing in front of him closely. "Oh! You're that lady I met last night at the pub!" He sported a questioning look. "What exactly are you doing in my room, possibly naked, and wrapped with my blanket?"

"You tell me! I freaking woke up like this!" Sophie gave Howl with a remorseful look. Her face now wore fear and disgust. "Oh shit! Don't tell me that we… Oh my goodness! No!"

"You know you just lost me there. I don't what you're talking about and I certainly don't remember anything that happened last night." Howl suddenly saw Sophie jerk up and place one hand over her mouth. He pointed to his en suite bathroom. "Toilet is right there."

Sophie ran to where Howl pointed. She found the toilet and immediately ducked her to vomit in a way she never had before. She felt that she was going to vomit out her guts soon. She cried in defeat. "This is so horrible! I'm never going to get drunk ever again!" The fact that she didn't remember anything at all from last night scared her at a terrifying level.

Hearing Sophie vomiting rather harshly made Howl delirious and caused his headache to go for the worse. Deciding on starting a new day of womanizing, he slipped out of bed, found his trousers hanging off at the edge of a table and put them on. Not being able to find his shirt anywhere, he left his bedroom half-naked and his hair completely messed up. Surprisingly, Howl did not take notice of the state of his hair. If he did see his hair's untidy state, he definitely would have freaked out and find himself in filthy green slime. Howl descended the stair groggily.

"Woah! Someone got busy!" The fire demon, Calcifer, said sneering at Howl.

"Yeah. Yeah." Howl proceeded to the kitchen finding something to eat.

Calcifer continued on. "It was sure one hell of a night! And I meant literally hell - for me that is! During that time of the night, it should be peace and solemnity that should take over not maniacal screams of pleasure! Look at the bags under my eyes! Look! Look! I was up all night! How am I going to do my daily duties?"

"You'll do fine." Howl found some bread and cheese.

"Hey Howl. Could you tell me – _again –_ why I decided to stay with an inconsiderate bastard?"

Howl shrugged and went back up the stairs to his room. Walking in haze, he suddenly saw a blur of a fast moving figure that went past him. Looking back, he saw a running Sophie. Confounded, he asked, "Why is she running? There's surely nothing scary in my bedroom now, is there?"

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Sophie ignored the fact that Howl saw her running. She ran down the stairs and ended up in a foyer with several doors. She grimaced. "How the hell do I get out of here?"

"Take the door on your right." Calcifer spoke out firmly as he watched Sophie curiously from the fireplace.

Sophie turned around and sought the owner of the voice. She hoped it wasn't Howl's.

Calcifer pointed to the door at Sophie's right. "That door will surely get you out of here."

Sophie stood agape seeing the fire speaking to her. She snapped out of her trance quickly, muttered a small 'thanks' and took the door she was told to take hurriedly. Running out as fast as she can, she thought, _The fire was talking to me and I actually replied to it! How did I end up in some madhouse!_

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Howl ran out of his room, seeing it empty. "Calcifer, did you see a lady running down the stairs?"

"Yeah, she just left." Calcifer looked at Howl with an accusing stare. "Stole yourself another heart, huh, Howl? Looking at how she ran off like that, it seems like you pretty much deflowered her as well. Naughty. Naughty."

Howl shrugged. "Oh well. It's not as if I'm ever going to see her again."

The fire demon, however, knew more than the great wizard did. Or maybe he just wasn't in denial, unlike the blonde standing in front of his fireplace. Calcifer knew what Howl felt deep down inside his rhythmically beating heart...

Howl wanted to see that lady again.

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**A/N**: Soooooo….what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell us! **REVIEW PLEASE**! We don't want flames, but constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!

Take care people!

Chisakami Saiyuki & elena-maria


	2. I: Reminiscence

_**Disclaimer:** We do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 1 – Reminiscence **

"Morgan! Morgan, be careful, please!"

A small raven-haired four-year old girl giggled in delight as her mother tried to chase her. Sophie Hatter furrowed her eyebrows together in a light scowl and ran faster. Morgan gave a cry as her mother captured her. The impish daughter squealed as Sophie hoisted her up.

"Let's play tag again, Mama!" she implored, her round eyes reproachful – though there was unmistakable mischief twinkling into those brown orbs – as she looked at Sophie.

"No more," Sophie huffed as she tried to catch her breath. "Now be a good girl and sit… Mama is tired."

Morgan bit her lip, her eyes shining with a child's tears as she tried to hold them back. Sophie immediately felt like a monster. She propped Morgan back to her feet and squatted so as to have her face in line with her daughter's. She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and used it to wipe the tears that streaked down to her daughter's cheek.

"Since Mama is so very tired, why don't you go and see what the bakers are doing? Later on, after I get my rest, we'll do something fun."

Morgan smiled and nodded her head. Sophie planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. _Sorry, _she thought sheepishly as her excited daughter ran off to Lettie's workplace to bother other adults.

The bakery still looked the same… Just like the rest of Market Chipping. The market was as noisy as it was before, with many people trying to get their goods bought. Despite the four years that have passed, Lettie was still the star of the bakery. Men from different occupations and towns would clamor to see her. Sophie, who was envious before, had more things to worry about…

…Namely, a little girl by the name of Morgan Hatter.

_I'll buy lots of bread later… Lots and lots._ Heaven knows what sort of chaos Morgan could create despite the fact that she was only four!

Lettie herself approached Sophie, a sympathetic expression on her face. "She's a handful, isn't she?" Sophie could only nod. "But I'm sure she never got it from you… Must be the father."

Sophie sighed. Again with this conversation.

"I wouldn't know," Sophie muttered bitterly. "I don't remember him. I only remember his face…" With a deeper scowl, she added, "Morgan looks like a splitting image of him! Can you believe it! Now I'll never forget that face for as long as I live!"

Lettie grinned. "But you love Morgan anyway."

Sophie shrugged somewhat helplessly. "How couldn't I? Every time she looks at me with those eyes-"

"-which she got from you, by the way," Lettie interrupted but Sophie just waved her off.

"-how could I not love her?"

"Well, considering the fact that those eyes could've been plucked from yours, I'm sensing a bit of narcissi-"

"Lettie, I do not love myself."

"Of course."

"Shut up."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Silence… Crickets chirping…

Lettie shifted. "Well, our Morgan is growing really fast." Sophie nodded in agreement. "By the way, do you remember the day you found out about her?"

Sophie instantly scowled. How could she not?

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"_Vomiting in the morning? Your moon time has passed? Having cravings lately? You should know what that means, Miss Hatter!"_

_Sophie stared at the doctor in front of her and laughed nervously. "B-But I don't! There's only one thing I can think of that results in this! But I'm sure that I am…"_

"…" _The doctor looked at her, waiting for her to continue. He wasn't been able to understand whatever she was mumbling about._

_Sophie felt her heart sink. "Are you saying I'm pregnant?"_

_The doctor looked thoughtfully at the ceiling before meeting her gaze. "Let me think… In not so many words… Yes." He gave her a look that said, _Duh.

_Sophie stiffened before bursting out, "But I can't be pregnant! I'm not married!"_

_The doctor shrugged. "Then get married."_

_Unable to keep herself calm, Sophie grabbed the doctor by his lapels and shook him quite hard for someone of her stature. _

"_So you think it's that easy to get married!" she screamed. "Have you ever been married before!"_

_The doctor blinked and held out a hand, showing her a wedding band._

"_In fact, I have."_

_Sophie sweat dropped and let him go. As soon as she recovered from embarrassment, she burst into tears._

"_But I can't be pregnant! I just can't! What will Mother say? What will the people say? What will Lettie… Actually, Lettie might care too much about the fact that I actually got it on with someone instead of me being pregnant, but putting that aside… What in the seven pits of hell am I supposed to do!"_

_The doctor blinked again. "Abortion?"_

_Sophie gasped and placed her hands over her tummy. "Absolutely not! I will not kill a living human being!"_

_The doctor rolled his eyes. "Well then have it!"_

"_But what about-"_

_The doctor threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "Then put it up for adoption!"_

_Sophie's eyes glinted possessively. "No way! It's mine!"_

"_ARGH! Then for God's sake, woman, _keep it_! Why do women have to be so difficult!"_

_Sophie yelled back, "Then why do men always have to think with their cock!"_

_The doctor looked affronted. "We do not!"_

_Sophie crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh yeah? What were you thinking of while you were reciting your wedding vows?"_

_She smirked smugly as the doctor opened and closed his mouth like a fish._

"_That is none of your business!"_

"_Right wasn't I?" _

"_Out! OUT!" The doctor shooed her out of the room and at the same time placing a bill for her appointment in Sophie's hand._

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"That was the rudest doctor I have ever met." Sophie stated in obvious annoyance. "He also blew his fuse too quickly. Imagine, telling me to abort Morgan! Plus he charged me quite a lot and yet he only verified the fact that I was pregnant!"

"But that wasn't the worst part, was it?" Lettie said quietly. Sophie winced, still remembering what happened next.

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_Sophie entered the hat shop, her thoughts bundled and jumbled as she tried to decide on what to do next. Pregnant! This will not go well with-_

"_SOPHIE!"_

_Flinching, Sophie turned around. Her mother was standing by the doorway, her form obviously quivering in fury._

_Uh-oh._

"_ARE YOU PREGNANT! WELL! SPEAK!"_

_Sophie shied away from the fuming woman. "Mother, I-"_

"_SO IT'S TRUE! AND I THOUGHT THAT IDIOT OF A DOCTOR WAS PLAYING A NASTY JOKE ON ME! WE WILL GO BACK TO HIM AT THIS INSTANT AND HAVE IT ABORTED!"_

_Sophie clenched her fists and yelled, "No!"_

"_What. Did. You. SAY!"_

"_No, Mother, NO! I am tired of always being the one who has to think of everyone else before herself! I am sick of living in this hat shop, not being able to socialize, and being your servant! I have my life too!"_

"_So this is what you do! GET PREGNANT!"_

"_If that's what I need to get away from you then YES!"_

_Wrong move._

_SLAP!_

_Sophie placed a trembling hand on her cheek. She slapped her… Her mother just slapped her!_

_Sophie smiled bitterly. "Good-bye, Mother."_

_If she expected an apology, she was in for a disappointment._

_Her mother turned away. "Good riddance."_

_With tears of fury and hurt, Sophie stormed off into her room and packed her bags. Mere minutes later, she was out of the house, free of responsibility… Not really. Free of her old responsibility…_

_She placed a gentle hand on her tummy – at the life slowly growing inside of her. _

_Her new responsibility._

"_It's just you and me now, huh?" Sophie brushed away her tears and held her chin high. "Don't worry, Morgan. We'll have each other."_

_With a new determination, she headed towards someone she could trust and depend on: her sister._

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"Did you try looking for the father?" Lettie asked Sophie presently.

Sophie nodded. "But I found no trace of him. No one even knew of someone with his description. I think he was just passing by this town when… You know."

Lettie huffed. "The nerve! Doing you like that! Heartless vagabonds! I bet you that the man has no heart for him to do such a shameful, vile, evil, disgusting, demeaning– "

Sophie cut her passionate sister off before she could start ranting every single word in the dictionary related to the word 'evil'. "I know Lettie. But I don't need him. I'm doing fine with Morgan so far. And you've helped us so much… I'll never forget."

Lettie smiled. "Anything for you, Sophie. Besides, I adore Morgan. Isn't she adorable?"

Before Sophie could reply, she and Lettie heard a sharp yell and a crash coming from the bakery. Sophie groaned.

"_Morgan!_"

The sisters hurriedly ran to Cesari's. Arriving at the scene of crime, they found Morgan covered in flour and a bowl smashed into pieces beside her.

Sophie kneeled down in front of Morgan and wiped the flour off her face. "Oh Morgan, what did you do this time?"

"I was just helping out." Morgan said innocently.

Sophie stood up and rendered her apology to the bakers. "I'm really sorry for all this. I'll surely help out in cleaning the mess and I'll pay for all the damages."

"No Sophie. You've got the wrong idea." said one of the bakers. "You don't need to apologize for anything and you don't certainly need to clean or to pay anything. As the matter of fact, Morgan was actually helping out. As she was bringing the bowl of flour to us, I suddenly saw a rat scurrying past my foot and I accidentally knocked the bowl of flour off Morgan's hands."

"See Mama, I was being a good girl!" Morgan chimed.

Sophie smiled at her daughter and turned back to the baker. "Thank you for keeping my daughter entertained. I'll be bringing her home now to get her cleaned up."

The mother and daughter left the bakery, with Morgan continually waving goodbye to the bakers.

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The night dawned and Lettie finally arrived home, welcomed by Morgan's warm embrace.

As she found Sophie sitting on the dining table, she immediately sat next to her and said excitedly, "Sophie, I found a really good job offer for both of us."

"What is it?"

"The royal palace in Kingsbury will be holding a huge festival that would probably go on for many weeks and they are in need of an overwhelming amount of assistance."

"Kingsbury is way too far from here. If we were to accept the job, we would have to move. I don't know if Morgan would agree of leaving home."

"But Sophie," Lettie reiterated, "It is only temporary. We are only going to be required there for a month or so. After the festival we will return back home. It'll be an adventure for Morgan. She would be able to explore a new place and mind you, Kingsbury is very exquisite."

Lettie did have a good point. Still unable to decide, Sophie called out for Morgan. "Morgan, could you please come here for a minute. Mama needs to ask you something."

Morgan quickly ran to her mother and climbed on to Sophie's lap.

Sophie held Morgan in place and encircled her arms around her. "Auntie Lettie and I are deciding to go to this place called Kingsbury and stay there for a while. You are, of course, coming along with us. Would it be okay with you if we leave home for a month or so?"

Morgan looked at her mother with a questioning look. "Is it a nice place, Mama?"

"It is a place with lots of tall buildings, shops filled with pretty things and everywhere, you would see lots of nicely dressed people."

With a smile, Morgan agreed.

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Dark hair, the color of a raven's feather, fluttered in the breeze as the owner stared at the whole town within his sight.

A pink ribbon was clenched tightly in the man's hand.

"I need to find her… I need to find my child."

The man entered a strange structure that had legs, giving it the capability to move. A fire in the grate was giving off a soft light that warmed the room.

"So you finally decide to use that brain of yours and come back, huh?" the fire spoke, its tone smug. "Good thing I took your heart instead of your brain… Oh wait, you don't have a brain!" Calcifer roared with laughter. "I kill myself…"

Howl walked towards the stairs. "Prepare some hot water. If you don't have it in five minutes, I'll introduce you to my friend, Mr. Peeping Slug."

Calcifer turned into a pale fire. "Y-You… Y-You bully! This is slavery! I have my rights!"

As the fire demon ranted on, Howl was again lost in his thoughts.

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**A/N:** To those who have waited for a long time for an update to this story, we are VERY VERY SORRY that it took us a really long time to update. Well, here's the update.

About Sophie, she's not that out of character. We actually concentrated on Sophie when she was old, who had some fire in her. Hope you guys don't mind!

Soooooo….what do you think of the new chapter? Like it? Hate it? Tell us! **REVIEW PLEASE**! We don't want flames, but constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!

We would like to thank **kitsune thief, kasumi977, Sophie-Lou, Poisenivy, TheMonkeyQueen, Kaytoko, bluenausicaa, bc, **and **meeeeeeeeeeee **for reviewing our story!

Take care people!

**Chisakami Saiyuki & elena-maria**


	3. II: Early Start, Early Havoc

_**Disclaimer:** We do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 2 – Early Start, Early Havoc **

The sun rose, marking the Hatters' first day in Kingsbury. Even though the royal festival was still several weeks away, one could already feel the hype and anticipation in the atmosphere. Sophie and Lettie, who woke up at the break of dawn, could already hear people bustling about the streets possibly on the way to the royal palace.

While Lettie was preparing breakfast, Sophie headed to the room she shared with Morgan. She didn't want to wake her little daughter so early in the morning, but she had no choice. Both she and Lettie needed to be at the royal palace to start right away with whatever jobs they were designated to do. Of course, Morgan had to come along since there will be no one home to watch over her. Thankfully, Sophie was allowed to bring Morgan to work. However, if Morgan was to become a bother and create some havoc, would just straightaway go back home to Market Chipping. There was no way she would be parted to her dear little girl.

Sophie opened the bedroom door and saw Morgan still sleeping in the same position, snuggled under the covers, when Sophie left the room. It is quite bizarre to see how solemn and peaceful Morgan is when in slumber. One wouldn't be able to tell that she actually is a child so full of life.

Smiling at the sight, Sophie sat next to her daughter's sleeping figure. "Morgan, honey. It's time to wake up." She cooed.

Morgan stirred and let out a soft whine. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the bright surroundings, and saw her mother smiling blissfully at her.

"Good morning, Morgan," greeted Sophie. She hoisted Morgan out of the bed and propped her up on her two feet. Holding Morgan's petite hand, she led her out of the room to the kitchen. "Auntie Lettie is making pancakes for breakfast. Isn't that your favorite?"

Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and stifling out a yawn, Morgan replied softly, "Yes, mama." Nearing the kitchen, she could already smell the sweet aroma of the scrumptious treat.

As both Sophie and Morgan, entered the kitchen, Lettie was already placing servings of pancakes on each of the 3 plates. She greeted Morgan merrily as she always had.

"Good morning, Auntie Lettie." Morgan greeted back, now sporting a sweet smile as her sleepiness has already worn off.

All three seated themselves and commenced eating their breakfast.

It is such a lovely sight to see Morgan eating on her own, especially seeing that she is trying so hard to use her utensils properly, since it is practically too big for the size of her hands. Sophie watched Morgan intently, just in case her daughter needed her support. No matter how many times she offered to help, Morgan always turns her down saying that she can do it all by herself. Of course, at the start there has been a spillage of food and small accidents but it didn't alter little Morgan's determination. How can a four year old child be already in the stage of gaining independence? A child has always been in the assistance of its mother. It made Sophie wonder where she could have got it from. Is it perhaps her father's trait?

Sophie dismissed the thought. She would never see him again and that's that. There's no point on dwelling on the past. Well, that's what she believes. It pains her to think that her sweet little angel is just a product of her mistake. But she had to admit, having Morgan opened up a path in her life. She decided that she wouldn't really care much on where it would lead her. Morgan will always be her responsibility that she wouldn't dare to let go. Morgan will serve as a reminder not to commit such mistake ever again.

As Morgan swallowed her last bite of pancakes, she carefully placed her utensils on top of her plate and looked at her mother. "What are we going to do today, mama?"

Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and turned to face her daughter. She picked up a table napkin and wiped off the stray bits of crumbs and syrup at the side of Morgan's face. Morgan maybe starting to act independent but she sure hasn't picked up the trait of being neat and tidy. Could it be another peculiar trait from the father?

Seeing Morgan's face all cleaned up, Sophie put down the napkin and started to gather the plates at the table. "Mama and Auntie Lettie will start work today and you're coming along with us."

"What are you and Auntie Lettie going to do, mama? Are you working in a bakeshop like the one you work at back home?"

Lettie told Sophie that she would take care of the dishes, so Sophie hoisted Morgan up and carried her towards the bathroom to wash up. "I'm not so sure, honey. We're going to find out when we get there."

"Could I help you work, mama? I helped a lot of times in the bakeshop back home."

Sophie smiled at the remark, recalling the many accidents and shrieks at Cesari's. "We'll see what we can do."

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"Wow!" Morgan looked at the royal palace with adoring eyes. Even Sophie and Lettie gasped at the sight of the grand edifice.

A tall wall encased the magnificent structure made for kings and queens. Tower tops with colorful flags adorned the castle. Guards, stationed at the wall, were mere ants to the massive construction that has withstood a number of centuries in protection of those housed within it.

"Mama, are you and Auntie Lettie going to be working at this really big house?" Morgan asked excitedly.

"Yes, honey. This place is the royal palace. This is where the king lives."

"Who is the king, Auntie Lettie? How come he lives in that really big house when we only live in a small one?"

Lettie squatted down to Morgan's level. "The king is a very important person. He is the one that takes care of this place like how your mother and I take care of you. He has lots and lots of money that's why he lives there."

"If I get lots and lots of money, would I be able to live there too?"

Sophie and Lettie would never get bored every time Morgan is with them. Morgan is just full of questions. Every time she asks a question, she looks at either Sophie or Lettie with such endearing eyes full of curiosity, which Sophie and Lettie couldn't resist. It's like as if Morgan is conjuring up a spell that would always gets Sophie and Lettie's attention.

Not wanting to be late, the three Hatters walked towards the palace, having already asked directions. The grand staircase that led to the enormous double doors was a sight to behold. The inside, itself, with high windows and velvet draperies spoke of the power and wealth of the royal family. Morgan's questions never ceased.

They finally arrived at the back entrance of the palace and they spotted a long line of working class people leading to an opened door where a palace official, seated in a table, was somewhat ticking off names at a paper of long length. After making sure that it was the line that they are supposed to be in, Sophie, Lettie and Morgan joined the line and waited patiently for their turn.

After a half an hour wait, Sophie and Lettie was finally designated to a job. Seeing that they had an experience on food services, they were directed to the palace's kitchen. The palace official was so relieved to have them since there was a shortage of help in the kitchen. Sophie and Lettie thanked the palace official and, along with Morgan, headed to the place they were directed to go.

The halls were identical, making it easy for a stranger to get lost. Luckily, more guards were posted within the castle and they gave the two women and child directions. They ended up in a really large room that held long rows of counters with numerous amount of kitchenware being handled by numerous amount of cooks. The tantalizing odors of the luxurious and delectable dishes were hovering in the atmosphere, tempting the three Hatters to taste the food for themselves.

They were spotted by the head cook and had, straightway, told them what to do. Seeing Morgan, hiding behind Sophie, he reminded them that the little girl must be in her best behavior and must stay with the mother at all times. Sophie and Lettie obliged and watched the head cook walk away.

As Sophie and Lettie started to prepare themselves, Morgan tugged on Sophie's skirt. She whispered, "I want to help, mama."

Sophie looked at her daughter disappointedly. "I'm sorry. You can't help today. The man said that you should be in your best behavior and you must be always near me at all times."

This had dampened Morgan's spirit. She looked at Sophie with a sad look on her face. "But…" Tears started to pool under her eyes.

Looking at Morgan just brought Sophie's heart to break. She hated to see her dear little daughter like this, so she squatted down and whispered to her ear, "I'll let you help me if the man isn't looking okay?"

Morgan suddenly changed back to her cheerful self and nodded.

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Morgan yawned in boredom. An hour had past and all she had done was sitting down while watching her mother work.

There was a change of scenery as the head cook approached Sophie and asked her to go to the store room and check the food inventory for the upcoming festival. Sophie followed right away. As she was about to ask Morgan to follow her, the head cook told her that it's best for Morgan to stay. So Sophie told Morgan to stay with her Auntie Lettie for while.

Morgan was about to ask why she can't go, but Sophie prevented her by looking at her firmly and saying, "Be a good girl to Auntie Lettie, ok?"

Morgan watched her mother go till she was out of sight. As she found her Auntie Lettie, she started heading towards her direction. Remembering her mother's advice on walking straight and proper, as well as, being aware of everything that's going on around her while in the royal palace, she tried not to run towards her Auntie Lettie and surprise her like she has always done.

She took small steps at a time and watched the activity of every cook that she happened to pass by. Passing by an opened door to the hallway, she grew curious about what else is happening inside the place she called the 'really big house'. She walked towards the opened door and peeked through the opening.

She saw that the place just outside the kitchen was a spacious hallway with a really high ceiling and on its walls; there were numerous amount of long and colorful tapestries. She bravely took a step outside the kitchen, wanting to explore.

What really attracted her eyes was a lone and colorful butterfly fluttering not far away from her. As it was near the window, the sunlight brought its wings to shimmer. She has always been fascinated by it, that she always runs after it, trying to catch it.

The relentless reminders from her mother just jostled out of her mind and she ran after the beautiful thing in an excited feat.

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Meanwhile, inside the storeroom, Sophie held a bundle of papers containing all the names of the different vegetables, fruits, spices and many more which are needed for the festival. She looked at the long rows of shelves packed with food and all the different sacks laid out in a pile. She groaned. To go through every item in the storeroom would take her the whole day or more.

Not wanting to waste any time, Sophie started counting and checking each item.

There were a few people coming and going, gathering food supplies. Each of them notified to Sophie what they took and left. They are not making this any easier for her, but work has to be done.

Sophie saw a blonde-haired man, whom she hasn't seen in the kitchen before, entering the store room. From the way he's dressed, Sophie judged that he's just as important as she is within the palace's walls. He's another worker who decided to take a break and nick some food from the kitchen. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he took a piece and started walking towards the door.

Sophie fumed at the sight. She marched towards him and called out. "Hey you! What did you just take?"

Realizing that someone just called after him, the man turned around to face a flustered Sophie. "Pardon me miss, I didn't quite catch what you said."

"You're not making my job any easier by taking whatever you want and not tell me about it!" Sophie started going off at the poor guy. One could tell that she didn't experience the time of her life being stuck in the store room all by herself. "Besides, I haven't seen you around the kitchen before. Who gave you the authority to just barge in and do whatever you want like you own the place?"

The blond-haired man looked at Sophie peculiarly. It seemed like he didn't get offended to what Sophie just said. He replied in a gentle tone. "My apologies, miss. You're right. I don't work in the kitchen so I wasn't aware of the rules around here. You're new here aren't you?"

"Yes. I just started today. What's it to you?"

"I was just wondering, miss." He rendered her a smile and extended his arm. "By the way, my name is Justin. What's your name?"

Sophie looked at the man in front of her weirdly. She wondered what in the world would the man be thinking at that moment. She practically shouted at him and yet he's acting all nice to her. "My name is Sophie Hatter." Sophie answered and placed her hand near his to shake hands.

Unexpectedly, Justin held Sophie's right hand ever so gently and placed it upon his lips, kissing it lightly.

Sophie just had to take her hand away when Justin's grip loosened. She has never been greeted this way before. "Are you some kind of pervert?" The question came out so randomly.

Justin laughed at her question. "Sorry to disappoint you Miss Hatter, but I'm not a pervert."

"Why are you acting this way then?" Sophie grew even more curious to what this man was up to.

"I've always learned that women must be treated with respect. I see nothing wrong with what I have done."

"That's the first time I heard that from a man."

"I see you haven't been treated accordingly before."

"I sure haven't." She hissed within herself vaguely remembering the time she met Howl.

"Pardon me?"

"Yes. I haven't been treated that way before. I belong to the working class and I don't exactly mingle with the elite." She added silently. "Plus, I'm not pretty and beautiful to deserve such treatment."

As Justin was about to say something but the door of the storeroom burst open revealing the figure of the head cook. "Miss Hatter, are you done….." He stopped and his eyes suddenly widened as he caught sight of the man Sophie was with. "Your Highness, Prince Justin!" he shrieked in a deep voice. "It is such an honor to have your presence in this kitchen. What can I do for you?"

Sophie couldn't believe what she heard. She was actually talking to the prince! She shuddered. Of all the people she ended up shouting at, it was the prince! Oh what a day Sophie just had! All she could do at the moment was to stand and gape at the man in front of her. '_Great going Sophie! You're going to get fired on your first day on the job!'_ she thought while silently hyperventilating.

Prince Justin, who hasn't taken notice of Sophie's state, replied curtly to the head cook's question. "I'm in no need of assistance. Thank you for asking. I just wanted to go for a walk and grabbed some apples for myself."

"Do whatever you please, Your Highness. You may take whatever you want. I hope that Miss Hatter hasn't been a bother to you. I'm sure she'll offer all the assistance you need, if you need any."

As Sophie was mentioned by the head cook, Prince Justin looked towards her. He grew amused at the look on her face. Smiling, he placed his index finger under her chin and pushed her mouth closed. "I'll be glad to be under Miss Hatter's assistance, if it is okay with her."

Sophie snapped out of her trance and quickly replied breathlessly. "Oh yes, Your Highness. I'm obliged to be at your service." She had acted so foolishly. It was sure that she's overly embarrassed. At the same time, she let out a sigh. From the way the prince has been acting, it seemed like she was let off the hook. Actually, it seemed like nothing happened.

The head cook now turned to Sophie. "Sophie, you can have a break in an hour." He bowed to the prince and bid him good day. He left the two alone.

When the head cook was out of sight, Prince Justin once again started the conversation. "I have nothing to do, so would you mind if I stay here for a while? Perhaps, I could help you."

"You don't need to ask permission to stay, your highness. You may do as you wish; however, you don't have to help me." Sophie's voice was still stuttering.

"I insist, Miss Hatter."

"Whatever your highness wants is fine by me." Gathering up her courage, she added. "Before anything else, I would like to apologize on how I acted awhile ago."

Smiling, the prince said, "You don't have to apologize. Don't worry about it."

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An hour had past. Sophie and Prince Justin were on the way out of the storeroom. During the first few minutes, Sophie felt really awkward having the Prince at her side and was actually having a conversation with her. But as time went on, she grew a little more comfortable with his company. It somehow feels like there's a new friendship that's blossoming. No matter how much she admits that she enjoyed the prince's company, she doubted that she would see him ever again.

Upon leaving the storeroom; Sophie, who was still with Prince Justin, sought her sister Lettie. Seeing her sister working at the other side of the kitchen, both headed towards her. Sophie suddenly felt tense since all the workers within the kitchen gave her peculiar looks. She heard someone ask to the person next to her. _'Why is she with the prince?'_

Sophie tried to block it all out and finally reached her sister. Even her sister gave her the same peculiar look. In response, Sophie gave her sister an 'I'll tell you later' look. She then looked around for Morgan. Not seeing her anywhere near Lettie, she asked her sister already in panic. "Lettie, where's Morgan?"

"Morgan?" Lettie asked. "I haven't seen Morgan ever since this morning."

That sure brought Sophie into hysterics. She started pacing around, muttering inaudible words. After a couple of seconds, she stopped and suddenly had an outburst. "We have to find her!"

The prince himself grew worried. He asked, "Who is Morgan?"

Lettie answered instead, seeing that Sophie was in the middle of panicking much worse than she is. "She's my sister's four year old daughter, your highness."

Prince Justin stopped Sophie from pacing by grabbing her arm. "You're married?"

Sophie was surprised by the sudden lack of emotion from his voice. But she had no time to think of that presently.

"I'm not married… It's complicated. Maybe I'll tell Your Highness another-"

"I'll help you find her."

Sophie looked up the prince's eyes and saw true concern. "Thank you so much, Your Highness."

Prince Justin, Sophie and Lettie all hastened out of the kitchen.

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**A/N: **Here's the update! It only took a month this time! So what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell us! **REVIEW PLEASE**! We don't want flames, but constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks to the following people who took time to review our story: **meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee**, **Poisonivy**, **michelle**, **Pendragon**, **Ivory Black aka Torri-Chiobie, Rowan **and** JJoy**. Thanks especially to **helikesitheymikey!** For reviewing twice for the last chapter!

Take care people!

**Chisakami Saiyuki & elena-maria**


	4. III: New Acquaintances

**_A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update…again…. I took a time off writing since I've been really busy and my drive for writing vanished these past few months. I kind of gained it now, so I'm sorry in advance if you found this chapter crappy. _**

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 3 – New Acquaintances**

Morgan intently watched the butterfly flutter its vibrant wings with such determination to catch it with her own hands. She continued to follow after it, jumping up whenever it was fluttering above her head. Morgan never grew tired as she followed the butterfly to many different hallways, corridors and a couple of long staircases.

As of the moment, she entered the foyer of the palace still making no progress upon her task. At last she found her chance seeing that the butterfly started to fly at a lower altitude which is within her arm length. Morgan's eyes shone with rigor and fortitude.

Just as her fingertips nearly grazed the silky texture of the butterfly's wings, her foot stumbled upon something unknown lying on the floor. Losing her balance, she closed her eyes expecting her body to meet the cold marble floor but instead she felt that something warm has broken her fall.

"Hey get off me!" shouted a voice that led Morgan's eyes to open.

Morgan found herself staring straight at another pair of eyes, which is sporting an annoyed look.

"My arms and legs are going numb. Get off me!" it demanded once again.

Morgan quickly hoisted herself off the young lad with messy hazel locks lying atop his head. "I'm so sorry." She apologized meekly. "I didn't see you just then."

The tone of the young lad's voice suddenly perked up, no longer showing annoyance. "Are you sure you didn't really see me?" he asked excitedly.

"No, I didn't." Morgan now looked at the young lad quizzically. "Well, actually, I wasn't really watching where I was going so-"

The young lad promptly stood up and cut Morgan off with a cry, saying, "I did it! Master Howl would be so proud of me!"

"What are you talking about?" Morgan asked frankly.

The young lad's eyes shone with pride and he boasted, wanting to impress little Morgan. "Before you arrived, I was practicing the camouflage spell my master taught me yesterday. You see, I'm getting better and better since I mastered the spell overnight."

However, it was of no avail. Morgan, with her ever so innocent mind, she simply asked, "Ca-mou-flage spell? What does that mean? Is that a game?"

"No! It's not a game!" the young lad said defensively. "Here I'll show you what it is. Just stay where you are and watch me carefully. I'm going to let it take effect on me slowly so you can see it easily."

The young lad walked towards that nearest wall and leaned unto it, his back pressed against the wall. Morgan did as she was told and watched him intently. Morgan watched as the figure of the young lad started to fade away slowly, adapting every pattern found within the wall. In a couple of seconds, he was nowhere to be seen.

Morgan's eyes grew mesmerized. 'Wow! I've never seen anything like that before!"

The young lad's figure instantly appeared once again, now walking away from the wall. A smile adorned his lips as his task of impressing little Morgan has been accomplished. "That's magic for you. It is just about the greatest thing that ever existed."

"Mama never told me anything about magic before."

"She hasn't?" The young lad looked at Morgan skeptically. "Everyone knows that wizard and witches, who does magic, exist. Right now I'm only an apprentice, but once I finish my training, I, myself, will be a wizard. By the way, my name is Markl. What's your name?"

Morgan introduced herself to her new found friend with a smile.

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Meanwhile, down the halls deep inside the castle, Howl's gallant foot falls are echoing off the walls. He held a surfeited look upon his face, for he had once again been summoned by his past mentor, Madame Suliman.

Silently cursing his past decision of joining the Royal Sorcerer Academy, he navigated through the countless corridors and secret passageways. The sun shining brightly outside the castle walls and the hype of the incoming festival made Howl even more anxious of being stuck inside the cold walls of the palace.

There is someplace else he wanted to be and there is something else he'd rather be doing. Reporting to the palace and undergoing the myriad of loathsome tasks made by Madame Suliman would definitely be his most hated duty.

Being in Kingsbury, Howl had lightly caught a sniff of his nearing success. The strong presence of the person he had long been searching for lingered about within the whole royal city. His child is somewhere near and he could feel it.

Finally reaching his destination, he was warmly greeted, "Howl, how nice of you to come."

Howl bowed at the grey-haired woman sitting in front of him. "Please don't humor me, Madame Suliman. What is it that you want me to do? I'm sure that you didn't summon me to merely have a cup of tea with you."

Madame Suliman laughed. "Still cocky, I see. Well, have a seat and I'll pour you a cup of tea anyway."

Howl didn't budge and kept standing still. "I'm sorry but I have no time to dilly-dally. I would really appreciate if you set upon the task to me now, so I could get it done and over with."

"What is it exactly that you prefer on doing besides this that bears much more importance to you?" Madame Suliman looked at Howl in intrigue.

"My apologies again, but I choose not to disclose it."

"Fine. I won't take much of your precious time anymore. I want you to find someone for me."

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"Sophie, could you please calm down for a bit?" Lettie pleaded while she watched Sophie bawling, crying out her dear daughter's name.

"How can I possibly calm down, Lettie?" Sophie cried, her eyes red from all the weeping. "Morgan's missing! My dear Morgan is missing!"

"Please calm down Sophie." It was now Prince Justin who was trying to console his distraught companion. "I've sent many of the palace guards to search the palace and the whole city."

"What if someone has taken her? I can't bear to see my child suffering in the hands of some sick minded criminal!"

"Don't draw out into conclusions just yet. I promise you that we will find your daughter." Prince Justin looked at Sophie with assuring eyes, maintaining a firm grip on her hands.

However, such actions of Prince Justin's didn't impede Sophie's relentless assumptions. "But…"

"If what you have said is true, then I myself will go and bring her back to you."

This brought Lettie to suddenly switch her attention towards the prince. It intrigued her how the prince could show so much compassion to someone he barely knew. Surprisingly, it had also brought Sophie's desperate musings to a halt. Much to her companions' relief, her distress had lowered at a small fraction.

"Thank you…" Sophie muttered softly.

Out in the distance, Sophie caught in her ears a faint cry of laughter. Her eyes grew wide and her composure had livened up. "Morgan!" she called out.

Sophie walked briskly along the hallway, towards the source of the sound. Getting nearer and nearer, she broke into a sprint with much anticipation etched within her mind. Lettie and Prince Justin followed behind her, matching her speed.

Just straight ahead, within the palace foyer, Sophie caught a glimpse of her daughter running around in circles, letting out her high pitched squeal of laughter. "Morgan!" she called out once again, but now with so much joy upon finally finding her daughter.

Little Morgan stopped in her tracks and saw her mother running towards her. "Mama!" she greeted lively.

Tears of joy started to form under Sophie's eyes. Just as she reached her daughter, she quickly hoisted her up and took her little child into her arms like a bundled baby. She once again began to weep.

"Mama, why are you crying?"

Sophie didn't budge and kept holding little Morgan in her arms. "You made mama and auntie Lettie worried sick. I almost thought that I lost you forever."

"I'm sorry, mama."

Sophie propped Morgan back to her feet and she knelt in front of her so they were face to face. "Promise me that you'll never run off alone, okay? You have to stay with me or your auntie Lettie at all times."

"I promise, mama."

"Good." Sophie wiped off the tears that crept down her cheeks and stood up. As she did so, she saw a young lad not much older than Morgan, standing not far from them. "Oh. Hello there."

As soon as Markl realized that he had just been greeted, he quickly greeted back. "Good afternoon, ma'm."

It was now Morgan who spoke next. "Mama, that's my new friend, Markl."

Sophie walked up to Markl and held out her hand for him to shake. "Nice meeting you, Markl. My name is Sophie. I'm Morgan's mother. Did you accompany my daughter all this time?"

"Yes ma'm. I did." He replied.

"Thank you so much for that." Looking around, Sophie noticed that no one was in the foyer who could be Markl's companion. "Why are you alone here inside the palace?" she asked.

"I'm actually waiting for my master to return as he was summoned here this morning."

"Will your master be returning soon? Do you want us to stay to give you company while you're waiting?" Sophie offered. "Or perhaps go with us to the kitchens and grab something to eat, I'm sure that you're hungry."

"Don't worry about me, ma'm. My master will be returning any minute now. Thank you for offering, but you don't have to stay with me."

"Sophie, I'm afraid that we have to go back to the kitchens" said Lettie. "The head cook would be furious if we are to keep him waiting even longer."

"Don't worry. I'll be there to do the explaining" Prince Justin reassured.

"Thank you so much, Your Highness" said Sophie. She now turned to her dear daughter. "Say goodbye to your friend now, Morgan. We have to go back."

Little Morgan waved merrily and said goodbye to Markl. Sophie also said her goodbye. "We do hope that we see each other again" she added.

With both Sophie and Lettie each holding Morgan's hands at each side, they walked off to head back to the kitchens. Prince Justin followed suit and walked beside Sophie starting a conversation.

"Mama!" Morgan interrupted excitedly. "Markl told me that he is a wizard's apprentice. He showed me all this magic tricks." She looked at her mother with such a curious face. "How come you never told me anything about magic before?"

Sophie suddenly grew uneasy. "Well, Morgan. The reason is…." She found herself unable to continue.

Lettie felt her older sister's distress and quickly averted her niece's attention. "I'm sure you're hungry, Morgan. What do you want to eat when we get to the kitchens?"

As little Morgan was listing the food she wanted to eat, Sophie looked at Lettie with gratitude. However, Lettie might have saved her from Morgan's inquisitive mind, but that doesn't mean Sophie will be let off the hook. As soon as Morgan was put to sleep, Sophie would have to go through an interrogation from her concerned sister.

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Not far from where he's standing, Markl heard a fast paced footsteps coming towards his direction. Knowing that it is his master approaching, he readied himself to leave the palace as soon as possible for he knew that his master couldn't muster being stuck inside the grand palace walls.

"Let's go Markl. It's time to leave." Howl's voice alerted Markl.

Trying to catch up to his master's fast strides, he asked. "So, how did it go, Master Howl? What do you have to do now?"

"Another pointless errand." Howl spat out. "I swear Madame Suliman is wasting my time on purpose."

"Why would she be doing that?"

"Most probably to keep an eye on me, that's why." Wanting to change the subject, Howl asked Markl. "So what did you do while you were waiting?"

"I finally mastered the camouflage spell that you taught me yesterday, master." Markl said with a proud voice.

"Excellent. Next, I'm going to teach you new spells that would enable you to help me do this errand of mine. We'll start right away."

"Yes, master." Suddenly remembering how he met new acquaintances a moment ago, Markl asked, "Will we be coming back here in Kingsbury anytime soon?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I made a friend a while ago and I really want to see her again since, you know how I barely make any friends since we're always on the run."

"Didn't I tell you to stay put, while you're waiting for me? Where did you end up running of to?" Howl asked demandingly.

"I never left the foyer." Markl cried defensively. "It was actually the girl who stumbled upon me when I was practicing my spells. It turned out that she went off exploring the palace without her mother knowing."

"A little girl was running around the palace by herself?" Howl wondered. "How could she have done that without getting noticed?" Not thinking twice, he then concluded, "The security here is pathetic."

"So, are we coming back here in Kingsbury?" Markl asked again.

"We have no choice since the person I'll be searching for is right here in Kingsbury. And yes you could visit your friend whenever you're free."

"Thank you master Howl!" said Markl gleefully, as he followed his master's strides down the extensive flight of stairs leading to the front gates of the palace.

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Sophie and Lettie anxiously watched Prince Justin explain the events to the head cook. The head cook nodded his head a few times and finally took a bow as the conversation ended.

Prince Justin walked back towards Sophie and Lettie with a smile on his face. "All is settled. There is nothing more to worry about."

"Thank you very much for everything, Your Highness" said both Sophie and Lettie, curtseying.

"It is my pleasure to help someone in need. Don't hesitate to ask for help if ever you're in need of it." He crouched down, his eyes meeting little Morgan's. "Be a good girl to your mother and auntie, okay?" As he heard Morgan's shaky response, agreeing to his request; he once again smiled and gave Morgan a pat on the head.

Standing up the prince's eyes met Sophie's. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he left the kitchen; leaving a faint hue of rose upon Sophie's cheeks.

Seeing that the prince had left, the head cook made his way to confide with the sisters. "The palace can't afford having the two of you lurking about the palace and not getting some urgent work done. Make sure that this doesn't happen again. I'll be watching you two."

Apologies we're said and both Sophie and Lettie helped finish up for the day while dear little Morgan sat still nearby. She made sure the she's following the prince's request for she thought something bad would happen if she didn't.

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Night has fallen. Instead of a cloud-stricken periwinkle blue sky, a blanket of twinkling stars upon an indigo backdrop was now seen past the glass rooftop of Madame Suliman's humble abode. The room was dimly lit by a lamp with a yellowish glow settled upon the table beside the chair where the head sorceress was seated.

As if there was an attracting force pulling its body into a specific direction, the vibrantly colored butterfly nestled upon Madame Sulliman's protruded finger hanging in mid-air. Upon flexing its wings, the beautiful tinge of various colors started to disintegrate, thinning out into dust.

Madame Suliman stared at it contemptuously, expressing her utter disappointment. "You have failed me" she said simply. With a single click the butterfly was nowhere to be found. "Such uproar within the palace was started. Why did the royal guards have an interest of finding a commoner's lost daughter?"

She now directed her gaze towards the small silent creature lying on its stomach underneath the table beside her. "Heen, I trust that you'll do a better job. Search for her first thing in the morning. Stay close to the child and her family. Be sure to keep me posted about everything."

With a soft huff, Heen's acceptance of the task was made known.

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_**A/N:** I haven't been in contact much with my co-author so this chapter wasn't edited by her. So once again, another reason for the crappiness. I hope you don't mind that I'll be writing this fic by myself from now on. Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review this story: **MissSilver, Starlight, otaku dreamer, Redbrick, fluffernutter, Pendragon, mesawka. **Love you all!_

_Thank especially to**helikesitheymikey! **for the endless support. I absolutely love getting reviews from you! 6 reviews for the last chapter! I'm so sorry to make you wait for so long! Please include an email when you review, or email me! (my email ad could be found on my profile)_

_By the way, Happy Valentines Day! _

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


	5. IV: Royal City Adventures

_**A/N:**__ Yay! I finally found the time to finish this chapter. I'm so sorry it took me 3 months to update! To make it up to guys, I made the chapter longer than usual. Happy reading!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter ****4 – Royal City Adventures**

While little Morgan lay asleep on her bed, Sophie and Lettie chatted away in the kitchen.

Just as Sophie predicted earlier, Lettie asked, "Tell me, Sophie, why didn't you tell Morgan about magic?"

"Well, you know how magic is dangerous. I believe that it's best for Morgan not to be exposed to it." Sophie answered. "Now that I think about it, you also never told Morgan anything about magic. May I ask why?"

"Don't change the subject!" Lettie hissed. "You've got to focus Sophie! Morgan's new friend is a wizard's apprentice. Don't tell me that Morgan will lose a friend, just because you don't want her mingling with magic."

"I'm not going to do that to my daughter. I want her to make many friends as possible."

"But you want them to be just normal, with no relation to magic whatsoever" said Lettie, looking at Sophie with knowing eyes.

Lettie watched her sister, whose eyes shone with guilt. "Why are you so negative about magic, Sophie? What exactly happened that brought you to into desperately driving you and your daughter away from magic?"

"Nothing happened."

"There go your lies again. I would really appreciate it if you stop lying when it comes to your welfare. I'm your sister, Sophie. I really want to help you." Seeing that her sister wouldn't look her at eye-to-eye, she pleaded. "Please Sophie, tell me what's wrong."

"Don't worry about it, Lettie. It's all in the past."

Lettie got even more worried about her sister. "It's that night isn't it?"

Sophie didn't need to ask what her sister meant. She knew exactly what her sister was referring to. She also knew that her sister wouldn't stop badgering her about the details. Sophie just had to give in. She sighed and recounted her experience, "Before I dashed out of that madhouse the next morning, a talking fire led me to the exit. It talked to me Lettie and I talked back!" Sophie freaked. "It's not normal!"

Not waiting for Lettie to react, Sophie continued, "It's not only that. As I got out of the madhouse, I ended up in the Waste. When I looked back I saw humungous strange structure with four metal legs. Smog was coming out of its numerous chimneys."

"It's Howl's castle" Lettie muttered.

Sophie was woken up from her trance and was brought back to her senses. "What did you say?"

"You met Wizard Howl that night. Sophie, how come you never told me this before? Wizard Howl has been rumoured to eat women's hearts. For all I know your heart has been eaten a long time ago."

"That definitely didn't happen. I'm alive aren't I?" Sophie placed her right hand on her chest, feeling the beating of her heart. "My heart is still intact inside my body."

Lettie rolled her eyes. She hated it whenever her sister always snuck from conversations that she doesn't want to have. "I'm speaking metaphorically, Sophie. Now, let's go back to my point."

"I'm not some withered soul, living aimlessly. I have Morgan and I have you. I'm very happy with how my life is going right now."

"That's true." Lettie wondered. "Instead of eating your heart, Wizard Howl planted a seed on your womb. Now that's definitely an odd turn of events. What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Mother getting married. I was angry…." Sophie mumbled.

"Do you remember that I told you to do something for yourself for once? You must have understood it wrong. I didn't tell you to get knocked up by some heart-eating wizard and give birth to his child."

"Don't you see? This is the reason why I never told you. I'm fully aware that I made a mistake. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't regret it at all. If it wasn't for that mistake, I wouldn't have Morgan with me right now."

"But what happens if he comes back? He is Morgan's father after all."

"He doesn't know anything about Morgan and I want to keep it that way." Unbeknownst to Sophie, she was completely wrong. Perhaps he might just know something about Morgan that Sophie doesn't.

"Then what will you say to Morgan when she asks about it?"

"Let's just pray that she won't ask that anytime soon."

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Calcifer was disturbed from his slumber by a sound that came from the door. He slowly emerged from the nearly burnt logs and saw Howl settle himself in the chair located at the front of the grate looking very exhausted. "Did you find what you're looking for?" he asked.

"Not yet. I only got one step closer." Howl put his feet up, rest his head back and let his arms limp down to his sides.

"I'm glad that you're finally making some progress. May I remind you that you've been doing this for years now? You just have to get distracted all the time, wooing all pretty women you meet on the way. You made things worse whenever you runaway when you're no longer attracted to them, leading the search to go off track to some oblique tangent. Do you realize that you're making things hard for yourself?"

"It's different this time. I'll be searching for two people now, thanks to Madame Suliman."

"That's not a work for a wizard like you. It's not fair for you."

"I know. Wasting my time and, more importantly, my powerful magic."

"That's not what I meant. It's not fair for you since you'll find it hard undertaking the task."

"Calcifer, I'm afraid that you don't know me that well." Howl looked as if unaffected by the insult.

"Oh, I beg to differ", said Calcifer, while rolling his eyes. "Who are you supposed to find anyway?"

"A person who still haven't discovered that he or she possess magic. Apparently, his or her magic has the potential of being so powerful that it could lead to the extermination of mankind."

"Now, that's way farfetched."

"According to Madame Suliman, it's in a sense that kingdoms will be fighting for his or her magic. The kingdoms' greed for power will lead to wars. It is possible that wars would not stop, so it will eventually lead to mankind's demise."

"You don't even know if it's a man or a woman?"

"Madame Suliman was so nice not to provide that information to me." Howl said sarcastically. "She said she wasn't sure of the person's gender as of yet, which is highly unlikely. She surely had kept this information from me for a reason."

"Then what exactly is your lead on finding this person?"

"I was told that due to the royal festival, he or she is in Kingsbury. Being a bearer of magic, possibly a powerful one, he or she will surely contain aura that can only be felt by a witch or wizard who knows the spell of uncovering this."

"Isn't that what you're using to find your child?"

"Yes it is. My child is also a bearer of magic, which is inherited from me. Remembering the fact that the child and I share the same blood, I have a certain connection with the child. This means that I will readily sense the child's aura without conjuring up any spells."

"How about the pick ribbon that you keep hidden in your pocket at all times? The child's mother owns that, doesn't she?"

"The even more effective tracing spell that I have recently put on it brought me here in Kingsbury. In finding the mother, I will find the child. It's a mere strategic move to undertake the search even faster."

The fire thought otherwise, but chooses not to comment on it. Instead he said, "Not unless, if you meet another woman to woo, which I may say a high possibility. Majority of all the people in the whole kingdom has gathered in the royal city for the festival. You've got to admit that there will be a feast of pretty women to choose from. You'll get distracted once again…"

In the middle of Calcifer's speech Howl stood up from his seat. "If you don't stop yapping, I'm going to order you to make some hot water for my bath."

Smirking, Howl headed to the stairs while Calcifer was left muttering inaudible curses.

Halfway up the stairs, Howl stopped. "Actually, I changed my mind. Make some hot water for my bath."

"You bully! I'm not your slave! You know, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to say 'please' once in a while."

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Holding a small piece of paper in her hand, she navigated her way around the alleyways of Kingsbury in search of a shop that specialises in selling spices gathered from all over the world. In another piece of paper hidden in her pocket, written on it was a list of spices the head cook asked Sophie to order for him.

Twenty minutes have gone and yet Sophie still hasn't reached her destination. She frantically looked up and down her scribbled map. "Oh no, I'm lost" she sighed. "I should have persisted for a local to come with me. If it wasn't for the head cook being so stubborn, repeatedly saying that he can't afford to have two people doing no work, I wouldn't have gotten lost."

Turning into another corner, she muttered, "This map isn't helping me at all! How could some speciality shop be so hard to find? Keeping a shop hidden away won't do much good for the business."

Muffled by Sophie's fuming temper, footsteps were silently echoing off the brick walls, its pace so gallant-like.

As Sophie took a deep breath to calm herself down, the faint echo caused by the footsteps reached her ears. Her heartbeat started to race as soon as she realised that fact that she has been walking along a deserted alleyway. Her musings kept her distracted, that it never registered into her mind how eerie her surroundings had become. The royal city was supposed to he swarming with people due to the upcoming festival , and yet the place she's in is so isolated.

Forgetting that she was in fact lost, she quickened her pace hoping her feet would preferably bring her to a plaza filled with people.

The footsteps behind her matched her pace and never ceased to follow her. Sophie's heartbeat was now beating so fast it could have likely ripped her chest open.

Sophie felt a sense of relief upon seeing the end of the alleyway leading to a main road teeming with scurrying people.

Just as her mind shouted 'Freedom!', she felt a grip on her shoulder, slowing her down. "Get off me you freak!" she shouted, while turning back and giving the stranger a mighty kick on his stomach. Sophie thought of kicking him in his groin but that would have been way too harsh.

Sophie heard the stranger let a whimper due to pain. "You've got such a strong kick, Miss Sophie. I'm impressed" said the stranger, having difficulty to speak.

Finally laying her eyes on the stranger, she suddenly shrieked, "Oh my! Prince Justin! Your Highness!" Sophie quickly lent a hand, helping the prince stand up.

Clutching his stomach, he said jokingly, "I'll make a note not to get on your bad side. I'll be in big trouble if I was."

"I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness. I'm not getting executed for this, am I?" Sophie pleaded.

"Don't worry Miss Sophie, you didn't lay a scratch on me, I believe. You're definitely in no place to face execution." Prince Justin reassured, slightly amused. "And how many times do I have to tell you, just call me Justin. Besides we're in a public place, you wouldn't want the people knowing I'm here."

"But it doesn't sound right."

"How about you call me by my first name whenever it's just the two of us? When we're in the company of other people inside the palace, then you can add the title to my name. Is that fine with you?"

"If that's the case then you can just call me Sophie then. I'll agree to your request if you agree to mine."

With a smile, Prince Justin said, "Agreed."

"I'm still very sorry about what I did. That wasn't a very good prank to pull. If you just called out my name, it would have never happened."

Prince Justin laughed. "If I called out your name, it destroys the purpose of secretly following you then."

"Why we're you secretly following me? I'm sure you've got some responsibilities to attend to, rather than wasting your time scaring the daylights out of me."

"I've decided to take a break, so I went to the kitchens to look for you. I was told that the head cook gave you an errand and you left not long ago, so I went to look for you and made sure you didn't get lost."

Sophie's cheeks grew red with embarrassment. "Well, I need help with directions right now. I'm kinda lost."

"May I see your map?" asked Prince Justin. Looking at the map, he commented. "This is a badly drawn map. It's no wonder you got lost." He gave back the map to Sophie and asked, "Could you please show me how you held the map."

As Sophie did what the prince had requested, the prince noted, "I now know the reason why you got lost, Sophie. You were holding the map upside down! You're destination is on the other side of the city."

Sophie's face now turned all red like a tomato. Overwhelmed by her embarrassment, she couldn't utter a single word.

Smiling, the Prince extended out his had and offered to escort Sophie to the speciality shop that sold spices.

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Meanwhile, back in the palace kitchens, dear little Morgan sat nearby her Auntie Lettie, humming a nursery rhyme song, with her swinging legs matching the rhythm of the song. She was told by her mother to stay put and behave while she's gone, and she did.

Watching her Auntie Lettie, she asked, "Auntie Lettie, when is mama coming back?"

"She'll be back soon, sweetie. She told you that she won't be long, didn't she?" Lettie answered.

Morgan hopped off her seat, approached Lettie and tugged at her dress, "Auntie Lettie, can I go see if mama is back?"

"Okay, Morgan, but don't leave the kitchens. Come back here, right after you checked."

"Yes Auntie." Morgan said cheerfully.

Upon reaching the entrance to the kitchens, she leaned in and popped her head out the door to check if her mother was in sight. She turned her head to the left and to the right, but she didn't see her mother anywhere.

Instead, she saw a small furry dog, just standing right next to her. Looking up at Morgan, it gave out a soft huff, which seems to be some sort of greeting.

Morgan's eyes instantly grew wide with excitement. She bent down and patted its furry head. As she did so, the dog wagged its tail with enthusiasm and freed itself from Morgan's touch, by scurrying away from her at a short distance. The dog looked back at Morgan, wanting her to follow.

Upon remembering her promise to her mother that she would behave while she's gone, she thought it would be best if she was to go back to the kitchens, like what her Auntie Lettie told her to do so.

Morgan stood up and stayed put. "I'm so sorry little doggie. I can't play with you right now."

As she turned back to the kitchens, heading back to where her Auntie Lettie was, the dog followed suit.

Upon reaching her Auntie Lettie, Morgan called out, "I'm back, Auntie."

Lettie stopped what she was doing, and turned to where her dear little niece was standing. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes laid upon a small dog just behind Morgan. "Morgan, where did that dog come from?" asked Lettie nervously.

Morgan looked up at her Auntie with questioning eyes and then turned to see what's behind her. Seeing the dog she met earlier, she chimed, "Doggie! You followed me!"

Lettie looked around hastily and settled her eyes to her niece once again. "Sweetie, live animals are not allowed in the kitchen." Lettie informed in panic. "I'll get in big trouble if the head cook finds out that you brought a dog here in the kitchens." Seeing that the dog was in no state of wanting to leave without her niece, she quickly told her niece "Go to the place where we enter the palace each morning and play with the dog there. Don't go and let yourself be hidden, so when your mother returns she will surely spot you. Be careful."

Morgan obliged right away and ran out of the kitchens with the dog following right behind her.

Reaching their destination, Morgan slowed down and tried to find a place where she could play without disturbing other people. Spotting a perfect place, she headed towards it. However, her canine companion no longer followed her and set off in a different direction, which leads even further away from the palace. Morgan called out after it, asking it to return, but all the dog did was to look back at Morgan, urging her to follow.

It occurred in her mind that if she didn't follow the dog, she would never see it again. Not wanting that to happen, she eventually followed.

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Meanwhile, Markl and his master Howl were out on the first day of their search. It's an hour past noon, and yet there was still no progress. Considering that Kingsbury was one big city, it was highly unlikely to find an individual so vaguely described in a matter of hours. Much to Howl's dismay, this added search would take days or even weeks.

"Do you sense anything yet, master?" Markl asked. His once attentive composure was starting to wear off.

"Are you getting tired Markl?"

"Of course not, Master Howl! I was just checking up on things."

"That's good. I'm sure that by now you're aware of how tedious the assigned tasks for wizards can be especially if you're under a manipulative and authoritative old hag.

Surprised by his master's words, Markl asked, "How can you speak such foul words about your old master?"

"I can call her whatever I please. That doesn't apply to you, though. You must respect your master at all times."

Even though it's true, Markl rolled his eyes. One can expect Howl to be an individual who acts however he wants to, may it be vain and rotten, but still wants people thinking highly of him.

Now walking along the busy streets lining the boundaries of the royal palace, Howl and Markl found themselves surrounded by many people. Annoying as it may seem, this served as a best place to conduct the search.

Seeing that his personal space was thinning out into dust, he quickly said, "Markl, let us get out of these people's way."

Both pushed their way out of the crowd and ended up near the royal gates.

Looking towards the majestic palace, Markl suddenly had the urge to enter and find his friend Morgan. "Master Howl, are we ever going to search inside the palace?"

"You have no idea how furious I would be is the person we're searching for is inside that godforsaken place."

"Why is that?"

"Don't you realise how annoying it would be if the Royal Head Sorcerer ordered someone else to do the investigator work when in fact she could have easily sniff the 'powerful' one within such close vicinity."

"I see your point, but if that was to happen, it will be fairly obvious that she had ulterior motives. Not giving you the full details about this person is in itself, very suspicious. She definitely wants you to meet the person firsthand." Considering his master's personality, he wondered. "Knowing that the person will be potentially all powerful, what exactly would do when you find this person?"

"Markl, I know that you're too smart for your age. That's the reason why I made you my apprentice in the first place. But please, I've had enough of Calcifer's incessant yapping. I definitely don't want you to add to that."

"But you didn't answer my question…"

Howl cut him off, "We'll cease the search for now and go inside the palace if that's what you want. You can go and meet you friend."

"That's great!" Despite his unsuccessful pursuit into unearthing his master's thoughts, Markl's mood uplifted. As well as being excited upon seeing his friend again, he has happy that he was able to confirm that his insights upon the search was within the same wavelength as his master's.

The only reason why Howl succumbed to his apprentice's wishes was to get him distracted for the time being. He's satisfied with his young apprentice's line of thought but it was getting too personal on his behalf.

Just as they were about to head inside the palace, Markl's watchful eyes quickly averted upon a little girl who just happened to be approaching towards their direction. "Morgan!", he called out.

Upon hearing her name, Morgan turned to where it came from and found Markl, not far away, waving merrily at her. With delight etched upon her face, she quickly ran towards him, calling after her furry little friend to follow.

Howl, on the other hand, watched the approaching figure, noticing her short raven black hair fluttering in the breeze. A thought suddenly entered his mind. '_Have I seen her before?'_

Morgan finally reached Markl with such a wide grin on her face.

After rendering their greetings to one another, Markl introduced his friend to his master.

Morgan looked up at the stranger and said with a smile, "Nice meeting you, sir."

Howl returned the greeting and moved his gaze towards her companion. His eyes narrowed and met the dog's eyes. He stared at it as if saying, '_What are you doing tagging along with this little girl? What is Madame Suliman up to?'_

Heen simply huffed to recognise his presence and left it at that.

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_**A/N: **__ OOHH! Howl finally met his daughter! I was so excited when I finally got to this part. I'm so sorry grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I only had time to read this through for 2 times. I wanted to post this as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading this story! __Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review this story: __**helikesitheymikey!, Xoroth, Amy, Hinatafanboy, Hopeless Star Gazer, Miss Interpreted, Elli, lonley-miko, moongirlSelene99, coco-can, MeiunTenshi, frubaforever. **__Love you all!_

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


	6. V: Nearly Intertwined Paths

_**A/N:**__ Here's the latest chapter! If it wasn't for work taking up most of my time, I could have updated this fic last week. Sorry for more than a month wait. I'm feeling a bit off with my writing so pardon the crappiness. Overall, I hope this chapter is to your liking. Happy reading!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 5 – Nearly Intertwined Paths **

Howl felt a tinge of suspicion as he stared at Madame Suliman's errand dog, Heen. He thought, '_What does Madame Suliman want from this little girl? Why is it that this dog decided to parade around the palace and hasn't brought the girl directly to its master?'_

Determined to get to the bottom of Madame Suliman's unknown little scheme, Howl told Markl to stay put. Moving closer to Markl, he whispered into his ear softly, "Keep an eye on you friend's canine companion. Be alert. I won't take long."

Before Markl even had the chance to ask where his master was headed, he already spotted him getting further and further. He turned his attention back to his friend and looked at the creature standing next to her with curiosity, asking himself as to why he had to keep an eye on it. _'It's just a dog. What exactly can it do?'_

"I didn't know you had a pet dog", said Markl.

"Oh no. He's not my pet dog. I saw him alone inside the palace and then he kept following me around", answered Morgan. "Isn't he cute?"

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Upon entering Madame Suliman's quarters, Howl was greeted warmly. "What a pleasant surprise! Seeing that you're here, I trust that you have completed the task I gave you. So where is the fellow?"

"I'm sorry but I'm still on the look out. I've got tomorrow to search the other half of the city." Howl answered.

"Is that so?" inquired Madame Suliman. "Well, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Howl spoke with haste. "I'm here to inquire about your dog."

Madame Suliman eyed Howl with inquisitive eyes. "Heen? What about Heen?"

"It's very peculiar seeing him tagging along with some young little girl. Maybe it's just me, but what I saw reeked from your own touch."

Madame Suliman chuckled lightly. "My, my. What an accusation. I'm sorry, Howl, but I'm quite unsure of what you're talking about. I've been wondering myself where Heen has gone all day."

Howl wasn't particularly happy with her response. Heck, her responses never agreed to Howl's liking. "Coming here was a complete waste of my time, then. I'll let myself out. Good day, to you." Howl said bitterly. There was surely something her old mentor was hiding, and it definitely involves him.

However, Madame Suliman called out after him, telling him to wait for a moment. Seeing that he had turned to face her once again, she informed him, "The person who I asked you to find is a female. That'll surely had narrowed things down a little, so I presume the pace of the search will go a bit quicker. I'm aware that getting this done sooner will surely be at my liking as well as it is yours. It is obvious by the look on your face that you've got other things you'd rather be doing."

"Why is it that you asked me to find this person, when in fact you can find her even faster than I can? With the vague instructions you have given me, I would really appreciate it if you refrain from hassling me."

Still smiling, Madame Suliman replied, "You should know that I'm also working on the search and I've been making preparations for the time you find her. I'm not hassling you, Howl. I'm sure a healthy reminder would do you no harm. I'll let you know straight away if I was able to acquire any more information."

"Have you got any more to add to that, perhaps something that you chose to hide from me?" asked Howl through clenched teeth.

Madame Suliman gave out a laugh. "How cunning. You know me so well, Howl. But unfortunately, I've got nothing else to say to you, like always. You may go as you please."

Watching Howl leave without hesitation, Madame Suliman silently muttered with a grin. "Heen, you sly dog. You didn't have to lead the girl to Howl. He's bound to find her anyway even without our help."

Meanwhile, in the palace hallways, Howl was cursing himself for being so dim-witted. He knew he wouldn't get his old mentor to openly tell him what she was after. She did give him another clue about the all powerful person he has to find, but he couldn't help but feel that he was just some pawn under the hands of a manipulative sorceress. If he was to look back, Madame Suliman always lived her life with each of her actions paving a way clear for her ulterior motives to take on solid form.

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After a whole day of walking, Sophie was finally heading back to the palace kitchens, with Prince Justin on toll. Looking as if she came from a stroll, her composure showed no hint of exhaustion, thanks to her dear companion. She didn't grow bored listening to Prince Justin's recount of all his journeys to other kingdoms and his jokes, which she found very funny.

"Thank you so much for accompanying me. I would have still been lost, if you didn't go stalking me. In retrospect, I would advice you to never do that again."

Prince Justin laughed heartily. "Very true, I don't think I'll be able to take another of your powerful kick." Relieved to see that Sophie has refrained from apologizing about her act of defence, he continued. "It was such a pleasure spending the day with you, Sophie. I definitely enjoyed the breath of fresh air. I'm surely not missing any opportunity to take a break from now on. The head cook-"

Sophie was suddenly distracted from hearing what the prince was saying, as she saw something familiar up ahead.

"- better not mind me popping up randomly each day." continued the prince with a suggestive tone, which unfortunately Sophie has missed.

Sophie, on the other hand, was squinting her eyes, trying to get a clear focus up ahead. "Sorry I got sidetracked just then. I think I just saw my child standing right outside the palace gates." She increased her pace with a troubled look upon her face. It was just yesterday, when she lost her dear little daughter inside the palace, and now there she was standing right outside it.

Sophie was not mistaken, it was indeed Morgan. She didn't think twice running towards her daughter, slipping through thin gaps as she passed through a massive crowd of people.

Getting nearer, she cried out her daughter's name, causing Morgan to avert her attention from Markl to the voice she recognized as her mother's.

"Mama!" Morgan exclaimed, while running to meet her mother and finally locked her in a tight embrace. "I missed you mama!"

Sophie tightly held her daughter in her arms for a short moment and then pulled away, so as to level her eyes to Morgan's. "Why are you outside the palace?" asked Sophie worriedly. "Didn't I tell you to stay with your Auntie Lettie?"

"But mama-"

"You promised me you were going to behave." Sophie interrupted. "You made mama extremely worried!"

"Auntie Lettie told me to go outside the kitchens and wait for you at the entrance", explained Morgan.

Sophie sported a confused look. "Why did she tell you to do that?"

"I met this little doggy and it kept following me around the kitchens, so Auntie Lettie told me to go outside and play with him." Morgan quickly pointed to the little creature beside her. "This is the little doggy, mama! Isn't he cute?"

Sophie turned her gaze to where her daughter was pointing. She threw the furry creature a puzzled look as Heen huffed to acknowledge her presence. It finally occurred to her that live animals are not allowed in the kitchens, so her sister asked Morgan to play at the entrance of the kitchens so she could spot her when she returns from completing her errands.

Now looking back to Morgan, she suddenly realized where they were standing at the moment. "Wait a minute, Morgan. You told me that Auntie Lettie told you to play at the entrance to the kitchens. Why are you outside the palace?"

"I saw Markl, mama!" Morgan said excitedly, then pointing to where she left him as she ran towards her mother.

Sophie now looked behind Morgan and there was Markl waving at her.

Walking towards Markl, Sophie had a nasty feeling that her daughter was being lured out of the palace, but decidedly threw the thought aside. Much to her dismay, it had always been her daughter's trait to run amok to wherever she found interesting.

"Good afternoon, Miss Sophie", greeted Markl, leading Sophie out of her reverie. Seeing a man with Sophie, he greeted him as well, not knowing his real identity.

"Good afternoon, Markl." Sophie replied. "How was your day?"

"It was great, ma'm. I'm very happy to see Morgan again."

"Are you here alone?" asked Sophie.

"Yes ma'm, but it's only for the time being. My master went inside the palace and told me to stay, knowing that I would like to spend time with Morgan."

"It seems that your master has made it a habit of leaving you alone while he handles various matters" said Sophie.

"I don't mind it much. I respect my master's wishes whether he wants me to help with his duties. It is his decision if I am prepared thoroughly prepared of tackling the numerous tasks the Head Sorceress had set upon him"

Sophie felt somewhat sympathetic towards Markl that she said, "Well, if ever you're in the palace and your master has told you to wait while he reports to the Head Sorceress, feel free to drop by the kitchens. You see, I can't seem to contain Morgan in one spot, as she is constantly bored."

"Yay! Can he come and see me everyday, mama?" asked Morgan excitedly.

"That depends upon Markl, honey."

Looking at Morgan, Markl said, "I'll visit you as frequently as possible. I'll try to convince my master to let me visit you after we finish our daily search."

Remembering that Sophie was in no position to dilly dally, she quickly asked Markl, "Would you like to join us to the kitchens? I need to head back and bring Morgan with me since my sister would be deeply worried by now."

"Thank you for the offer, Miss Sophie, but I'm going to stay here and wait for my master. He would be returning soon."

"Okay then. Well, do take care of yourself. We're hoping to see you tomorrow."

"Goodbye Markl! Don't forget to visit me!" chimed Morgan.

Markl watched Sophie, Morgan, the gentleman, and the dog walk off, with Morgan constantly looking back, waving merrily at him.

Just as he decided to sit down, his Master Howl appeared right next to him with a livid face. "You're back, Master Howl", said Markl, startled.

Noticing that Markl was now standing by himself, he asked, "Where's your friend and her little dog?"

"Morgan's mother, Miss Sophie, came by as she spotted Morgan and I. They left just then, heading back to the kitchens."

_Sophie…_

That name had struck a memory to resurface within Howl's mind like a jolt of lightning. Madame Suliman's errand dog, Heen, was suddenly driven out of his thoughts. Growing curious by the minute, he asked Markl, "Do you know your friend's surname by any chance?"

"Yes Master. It's Hatter. Why do you ask, master?"

A sudden conclusion came crashing into his head.

_Sophie Hatter…_

After all the years of searching, he has finally found her. And most importantly, he found his child. And much to his pleasure, he already had met her.

Markl looked up at Howl, who face held an incomprehensible expression. "Master?" said Markl softly, trying to take his master from his trance.

Howl, however, ignored Markl's calls. It had finally dawned onto him why he thought of Markl's little friend familiar when he met her earlier.

'_She's a splitting image of me when I was a child. Our features are similar, except the eyes. She has Sophie's eyes…'_

A question suddenly popped into his head, '_Why didn't I readily feel any sort of magical aura from her? Does that mean she didn't inherit any of my powers?'_

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After an eventful day, it's already been made clear to both Sophie and Lettie that a normal day in Kingsbury would comprise of Morgan running off to explore and meeting strangers in the process, be it a man or an animal. No matter how much they remind little Morgan to stay put, fate always finds a way to bait her away from Sophie and Lettie's watch. Worrying about Morgan's welfare was pretty much all that could be done on Sophie and Lettie's part. The heavy workload made it impossible for them to keep their eyes on Morgan every second of their day shift.

Sophie and Lettie's shift has ended and they are now faced by the problem raised by Morgan.

"How about little doggy? Is he coming home with us?" asked Morgan, looking up at both her mother and auntie with hopeful eyes.

After exchanging an unknowing glance with her sister, Lettie reminded her dear niece, "Morgan, your friend surely belongs to someone else. They might be looking for him."

"But where is he going to go? He'll be all alone when we leave." Morgan's eyes now held a pleading expression.

Sophie and Lettie knew instantly that they were just placed in a position where they couldn't say no.

Looking down at the dog, Sophie couldn't help but notice how the dog was looking up at her. It held the same pleading eyes like Morgan.

It was final; the dog is going to go home with them. Morgan's eyes was enough to put Sophie into the brink of considering what her daughter wants, but having another pair of eyes looking up at her with the same expression did the trick. Sighing, she said to Morgan, "Okay honey. Your friend can come with us and stay at our home until we find the owner."

Morgan's eyes quickly reverted to a grateful look. "Yay! Thank you mama! Thank you Auntie Lettie!"

Now walking home, the three Hatters were now discussing how Morgan's day went. Morgan recounted how she met her new furry friend and where they went while they were outside the palace.

"I met Markl's master, mama!" exclaimed Morgan. "I met a wizard! Isn't it amazing?"

Sophie and Lettie quickly exchanged worried glances. Their fear of having Markl as a friend for Morgan, had taken form. The very thing that Sophie had tried to avoid for the last 4 years came crawling into her family's lives.

"What does Markl's master look like, Morgan?" asked Lettie nervously.

"He's tall and he had very nice clothing", described Morgan. "And he has the same hair colour as I have!"

Sophie grew uneasy even more. "What's his name, Morgan?"

"His name is Howl, mama."

Both Sophie and Lettie were severely shocked upon hearing the name. Sophie looked at her sister and whispered, "What are the odds that there are other wizards named Howl?"

"Slim to none", answered Lettie regretfully.

"What am I going to do now?" There was a slight hint of panic in Sophie's voice.

"No, Sophie. What are WE going to do now? I'm not going to let you deal with this alone", said Lettie reassuringly.

"Mama, Auntie Lettie" called out Morgan. "What are you whispering about?"

"It's nothing, honey", said Sophie. "Come on. Let's hurry home."

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_**A/N: **__ I hope you guys are getting excited as I am! Sophie and Howl will meet in the next chapter! _

_Kudos for all the readers who realised that Howl wasn't been able to sense Morgan in the last chapter! And it looks like, from the reviews, you guys like Sophie to be the powerful figure. Really sorry but I choose not to comment on that. LOL! _

_Also, I'm so sorry grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I only had time to read this through for 2 times. I wanted to post this as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading this story! __Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review the last chapter: __**helikesitheymikey!, Katrinika, reader, Xoroth, Cat Claw, Empress-Dragon, Death's Crow, Estelle Stafford, dutchangel1979, lilaznbunny, moongirlSelene99, Jksangel, Tsuri Kato, lup, kiwadoi seiitsu, Kiriko-sama, loveablevampire. **_

_Thanks also to the people who put my story in their story alerts and favourites! __Love you all!_

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


	7. VI: Captured by Magic

_**A/N:**__ Here's the latest chapter! Sorry for more than a month wait. School work started piling up and I believe the stack will get even higher as the semester progresses. Please bear with me. Once again, I'm feeling a bit off with my writing so pardon the crappiness. Overall, I hope this chapter is to your liking. Happy reading!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 6 –**** Captured by Magic **

It was the middle of the night and the moving castle held its usual gloom. It was the faint cackling sounds from the fire grate that kept the castle from being dead silent.

The familiar click heard from the direction of the magic door, woke up the lightly dozing fire demon.

Knowing full well that it was his bastard of a friend who returned, Calcifer lazily opened his eyes and slowly emerged from the hearth filled with blackened logs. He watched Howl settle himself on a chair opposite the fire grate and distinctly noticed his composure, which was completely different from yesterday. "You look pleased. What were you able to accomplish this time?" Calcifer asked. "If it was another woman you happened to meet, please spare me the details. One word about it would straightaway put me to sleep."

As usual, the insult didn't produce much effect on Howl. "If I told you that I met a little girl today, would you doze off on me?" he asked.

Calcifer looked at Howl with disgust. "Howl, you better not have resorted to – to"

"I'm not pedophilic, you idiot. The little girl I was referring to is Markl's new friend."

"Markl made a new friend? That's good to hear. With you on the run most of the time you made it hard for the dear child to have any friends at all." Realizing that he just got sidetracked, he asked, "Wait a minute, how exactly does this concern you?"

"If you refrain from criticizing me, you would have an idea how it concerns me."

From the moment Howl mentioned the words 'meet' and 'little' Calcifer knew exactly what he was referring to. Being treated like a slave, insulting Howl comes first in his agenda. "I'm guessing Markl's new friend is the child you're searching for. How did that boy meet the little girl?"

"He told me, they met inside the palace while he was waiting for me to return from my meeting with Madame Suliman. Apparently, the little girl ran off from her mother and went exploring the palace by herself."

'_She's his child, alright'_, Calcifer thought. "How did a little girl manage to get inside the palace without being noticed by the soldiers that guard the place?"

"Getting inside isn't much of a fuss since her mother works in the kitchens and she most probably accompanies her. It is when she was exploring that proved the security within the palace is pathetic."

"If she really is your child, it is possible that she made herself untraceable with that undiscovered ability of hers", said Calcifer.

Howl's eyes shone with an inquisitive look." That is what troubles me the most. I couldn't sense any aura of magic within her when we met."

"And you're proposing that she didn't inherit any of your powers?"

"That's the only reason I've come up so far." Howl's voice held a hint of disappointment. "It is rather unfortunate if that was to be the truth, for it wouldn't explain why Madame Suliman has taken an interest on my child."

"How were you able to procure that observation?" asked Calcifer, looking utterly surprised.

"Madam Suliman's errand dog was with her, when we met."

Wanting to make sense of the peculiar situation, he questioned Howl further. "What did your old mentor tell you about this?"

"The dog, apparently, acted on its own accord. Highly unlikely, if you ask me."

Calcifer had to agree with Howl on that matter. "So what are you going to do now? I'm sure you've got a plan in that head of yours."

"Markl and I will pay my child and her mother a visit later in the day."

"Let me guess, Markl will be the key to get close to your daughter."

"Precisely", answered Howl with a satisfied tone in his voice.

"How about the mother? Would she be keen on seeing you again? I assume that she doesn't know that you're aware of being the father of her child."

"We'll see how it goes."

Seeing that their conversation had ended, Calcifer knew so well that Howl had never been comfortable on talking about the woman who ran away four years ago, despite his calm disposition. For all those years of searching, Howl never once told Calcifer why he decided to search for his child in the first place. Since Howl only spoke of the child inheriting his powers, could it be that what driven Howl to initiate the search was his hunger for power? Is that the sole purpose of the search?

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It is yet another day of work at the palace. After much deliberation the night before, Sophie and Lettie weren't able to fully decide on how to act upon the situation regarding their dear little Morgan and the dangerous and untrustworthy world of magic. They were surely in no position to go back home in Market Chipping since they just started working and money wasn't exactly easy to come by. As a result, they gave themselves false beliefs, thinking that everything might have been a coincidence. And besides, Sophie strongly believes that Wizard Howl couldn't possibly know about Morgan. When she ran away from the mad house people refer to as 'Howl's Moving Castle' years ago, she was certain that she had cut herself off completely from the place and it's out of this world inhabitants.

They had chosen to act not much differently from the way they usually go about their day and made it clear to themselves that they had to avoid any form of trouble at all cost, which basically meant keeping little Morgan at bay.

Keeping an even lower profile was the aim for the day. Unfortunately, on Sophie's part, the aim is somewhat hard to accomplish having Prince Justin as a friend.

"You seem to be quite in good terms with the prince", whispered Lettie, who is standing next to Sophie, busy with her respective task. "I'm not complaining or anything, but you have to admit, you two attract so much attention whenever he's around."

Looking flustered, Sophie insisted, "Just as so you know, I'm not really fond of having all the women sneering at me. I can't exactly shoo him out of here every time he visits."

"So far, I've seen you and His Highness together everyday ever since we started working here."

Sophie's cheeks started to go red. She muttered sheepishly, "Well-"

"He's taken a liking to you!", exclaimed Lettie silently.

"I don't think so. Lettie-" Sophie's voice seems to get softer by the second.

"Mama-"

Sophie felt someone tugging her skirt.

"Mama, there's someone here to see you", said Morgan meekly, who was now standing next to her mother.

Looking back, Sophie's eyes widened with surprise. Speaking of the devil, there stood Prince Justin, smiling nonchalantly. _'Why now?'_ she thought, her mind ill at ease.

"Good morning Your Highness." It was Lettie who greeted first, with her head bowed down while curtsying.

Feeling a bit foolish, standing there gawking at the prince, Sophie did the same. "What brings you to the kitchens, Your Highness?"

"Oh, I just happened to pass by. So I thought I'd come for a bit and have a chat. Well, if you're not too busy, that is."

Before everyone else in the kitchen realizes that the prince was in the midst of their company, Lettie quickly set up Sophie's escape route. Keeping to the aim of the day, Lettie reminded her sister, "Sophie, I just remembered, the head cook is asking for your assistance."

Sophie looked at Lettie curiously. As she was about to ask what her sister was talking about, Sophie quickly became aware of the situation, when Lettie gave her the 'you've-got-to-get-out-of-here' look. Turning back to face the prince, she then apologized, saying, "I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness, but it's best that I tend to the head cook's orders right away. I'd hate to keep him waiting."

Remembering that Sophie's been in tight situations in the past few days and that it was him who has been letting her off the hook, Prince Justin had no choice but to comply. "I understand, Miss Sophie. There's no need for apologies. In fact, it should be me who must ask for an apology for disturbing you and Miss Lettie."

Sensing Lettie's apprehension, Sophie quickly bid His Highness good day and reminded her dear little daughter to behave while she was to stay with her auntie Lettie. Not looking back, she headed to the direction of the store room, thinking that that would be the perfect hiding place while waiting for Prince Justin to leave.

"I better get going, then" said Prince Justin feeling quite dejected. "I've taken up much of your time. Once again, my sincere apologies to you, Miss Lettie."

Lettie curtseyed, while saying, "Have a good day, Your Highness."

With Prince Justin no longer in sight, Morgan jumped off her seat and walked towards her auntie. "Auntie Lettie, how come the prince always comes and visits mama?" asked Morgan.

Lettie smiled and whispered to her niece. "They've become friends just like how you became friends with Markl."

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Meanwhile, inside the store room, Sophie walked around to inspect the goods to pass the time. Humming a tune, she was ruefully unaware that within the shadows a pair of eyes were watching her every move. Nor did she realize that the owner of the watchful eyes crept near her as she walked past.

As Sophie stopped when a torn sack of potatoes had caught her eyes, her follower also stopped, now standing right behind her.

Wanting to catch Sophie's attention, he cleared his throat loudly.

Sophie's sense quickly alerted and she turned to where she had heard the sound. As she turned her body, she felt her body slam onto to something hard. With eyes closed in panic, she had lost her balance and started falling backwards. She waited for her body to come in contact with the floor and experience a sudden jolt of pain, but it never came. Instead of a cold hard concrete floor, she felt something supporting her lower back and the back of her neck.

Opening her eyes, cerulean colored orbs met her gaze.

'_What in the-'. _At a sudden impulse, Sophie brought up her hand and slapped the man in his cheek with all the force she could muster.

The cerulean orbs no longer held the mystified look and were now replaced by a more alert one. The man cried out, "What did you that for? I could have dropped you!"

Sophie was then brought up her feet and stared at the man opposite her, who was massaging his cheek.

A blast from the past was exactly what Sophie was seeing. Her eyes widened with shock. "You, You-" she stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm so glad to hear that you remember me Sophie. It's been many years since we first met. Do you remember?"

Sophie remained still, her face looking aghast. No reply came out of her mouth.

"Well, to answer your question, I am here to accompany my apprentice, Markl, who is now visiting his friend here in the kitchens."

Sophie foolishly said "Markl's here?" Her sheer shock clouded her better sense of judgment.

"You know Markl?" Howl sported an unknowing look.

"Oh, no. I'm speaking of another Markl. I just realized that the Markl I know is currently staying in the neighboring town. That's the reason why I was surprised to hear he's here, you see." Despite the awkward circumstances, Sophie applauded her ingenuity.

Howl couldn't help but grin as he watched Sophie forcing herself to keep a confident appearance. "So how have you been? What's been keeping you busy for the past four years?"

Sophie thought about her child, but she was determined to keep her existence quiet. Her dear little Morgan is his child too, but Howl doesn't deserve to be called her daughter's father. Her shock had started to diminish and now she's getting infuriated, for the man who caused so many changes in her life could suddenly breeze back to her life and let it seem nothing had happened. "I had no idea you were keeping count of how many years we've been apart. I honestly thought you would have forgotten about me by now."

"How can I, when you're the only woman who ran out on me after spending the night together."

Sophie deemed the man in front of her conceited. "You can't have all the women clamoring over you."

"I agree with you on that. My life would be too boring if it was so. I'd like a challenge or two once in a while."

'_So I'm one of your 'challenges', now?'_ Sophie thought. "Of all the places, how come you ended up here inside the store room?"

"Isn't it obvious? I wanted to see you."

"How did you even know where I was?"

"Oh I've got my ways."

Sophie cringed at the thought of possibly being stalked by the man she had tried to avoid. "I would appreciate it if you would extend on that."

Howl smirked at Sophie's persuasion. He slid his hand inside one of his pockets and held out a pink ribbon. Handing the ribbon to Sophie, he said, "Here, I believe this is yours."

Sophie took it and at an instance, she recognized it. She looked up to Howl, with much curiosity in her eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"Do I to have a reason to visit an old friend?" Howl took a step forwards, and with a swift gesture with his hand, turned Sophie facing towards the door leading out of the store room. "Come, I would like you to meet my apprentice." He took her hand and pulled her to exit the room.

"Wait-" she muttered. Sensing his strong grip on her hand, there was no chance for her to get away. Having no choice but to follow, she thought dejectedly, _'I'm not even your friend.'_

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the kitchen, Lettie constantly checked up on Morgan and her friend, Markl. Ever since Markl arrived, Lettie suddenly had a funny feeling that something would go horribly wrong. It's unmistakable that due to Markl being an apprentice of Wizard Howl, Lettie had started treating him differently. Her demeanor towards Markl was nowhere near the instance of contempt, but it was more on the side of being cautious.

Of course, her dear little niece was just as excited as ever upon seeing her new friend. Lettie listened to them conversing animatedly, while kneading a mass of dough.

"Auntie Lettie, mama's back!" chimed Morgan.

Quickly turning her gaze towards her sister, Lettie's eyes suddenly widened.

"Look Morgan, here comes Master Howl!" said Markl.

Lettie stood still, with her mouth agape. As she watched the pair walking nearer and nearer, Lettie's heartbeat quickened. _'Wizard Howl! Morgan's father!_' thought Lettie, panic-stricken. She turned her attention to her niece and saw her already walking to meet her mother with Markl on toll.

Before she was able to act, wanting to hold Morgan back at least, her sight was suddenly blurred. After blinking her eyes a number of times, the world she's seeing remained the shade of white. "Sophie! Morgan!" she called out.

Instead of hearing her sister's or niece's voice, she heard another voice, which whispered softly in her ear. "I apologize for all this."

As the kitchen started to materialize in Lettie's eyes, she scanned her surroundings frantically.

Instead of finding her sister and her niece, she spotted the head cook coming her way, looking furious.

"Lettie! What's all this? What happened?" the head cooked asked.

Lettie found herself and among everything else within her workstation covered in a thick layer of flour.

"Clumsiness is not tolerated around here. Clean it up fast", demanded the head cook.

Now looking at the bowl that once held the flour, smashed into pieces on the floor, she realized why the head cook was speaking of clumsiness. Lettie thought it was best not to retaliate. She wasn't at all being clumsy, for she knew so well that she left the bowl of flour nowhere near the edge of the kitchen counter. She certainly didn't flail her arms around and knocked the bowl off the counter.

There was only one culprit.

And the worst part is, he took Sophie and Morgan!

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_**A/N:**__ I'm not exactly that happy with the way this chapter turned out. I kinda feel terrible since I made you guys wait and I didn't really do a good job in this chapter. Please do let me know what you think. _

_Also, I'm so sorry grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I only had time to read this through once. I wanted to post this as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading this story! __Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review the last chapter:__** Death's Crow, SouthernLoner, Katrinika, Fallon Nicole, -w- easy enough, ninjapirate6, Cev, **__**kiwadoi seiitsu, shiroi-miko, Scarlet Ice Cascading, avid reader, Hinatafanboy, moongirlSelene99, helikesitheymikey!, coco-san, Xoroth, Lup, Spiritual Bob, Josephine yang. **_

_Thanks also to the people who put my story in their story alerts and favourites! __Love you all!_

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


	8. VII: Confrontations

_**A/N:**__ Here's the latest chapter! I'm terribly sorry for the very long wait. I hope this chapter is to your liking. Happy reading!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Howl's Moving Castle! The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki! So no suing!_

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**Chapter 7 –**** Confrontations **

A _prison…_

That's what Sophie decided to call the room she's in. However, judging the way the room was furnished it was surely nothing of the sort aesthetically. A wooden double bed stood at a corner, its bed linen matching the rose colored walls. The comfortable wooden rocking chair, in which Sophie was sitting on, stood next to a wide lone window with curtains made of a billowy soft material. Next to the dresser were toys, packed away in a trunk, and a doll house that every little girl would envy.

As the thick clouds upon the dark sky moved, the moonlight shone upon dear little Morgan's face, who was sitting on her mother's lap quietly snoozing.

'_Why am I here?' _Sophie thought. '_Why am I back here?'_

Sophie has been formulating explanations ever since her arrival to a place she had once called a 'mad house'. She definitely thought herself ridiculous when she thought of the despicable man with the name Howl finally realizing his strong affections for her that he searched for her in the past years. Sophie felt even worse, thinking that Howl found out about Morgan and he had haunted her once again to claim her precious daughter.

'_No! No!'_ Sophie frantically shook her head. _'He couldn't possibly know about Morgan!'_

Meanwhile, Howl was downstairs confiding with Calcifer. Knowing the fire demon all too well, it was more likely him nagging, while Howl sat back unfazed.

"I believe you acted too harshly commanding the mother and child to not leave the room", argued Calcifer. "You did give them a nice room to stay in and yet you're treating them like prisoners. You wouldn't win their affection if you treat them that way."

"That is not my concern" answered Howl.

"Let me know if I get this right. You basically brought the child here to keep an eye on her because her lack of magical aura has been troubling you."

"You're on the right track."

"Do you have any idea how insensitive and selfish this makes you look? And what exactly are you going to do when you find out that the child didn't inherit any of your powers?"

"We'll just have to see what happens."

"I do hope you realize that the child may be the only living blood relative you've got. Whatever it is you're thinking, it better not be anything cruel." Calcifer grew disappointed at how his friend is dealing with the situation he jumped into. He doubted that any of his advice would sink into Howl's head. "So where does the mother come in with this plan of yours?"

"The child needs her mother." And with that Howl ended the conversation and headed upstairs.

"I never imagined such a family reunion to be such a drag."

Leaving Calcifer grumbling by himself, Howl headed towards his room, stopping abruptly at a bedroom door not far from his. He turned to face it, knowing well who its occupants are.

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Madame Suliman gazed upon her crystal ball. Within in she saw Sophie and Morgan lying asleep on the bed while Heen stood nearby, wagging his tail and looking attentive of his master.

"I see Howl made his move", Madame Suliman observed. "This goes to show that he's onto us, Heen. Howl tried to pry the mother and the child off my reach. But, of course, he wasn't successful enough to separate you from them. I'm sure he's aware of the strong binding spell I placed between you and the two Hatters."

Satisfied on what she's seen, Madame Suliman ordered, "Heen, make sure you stay by her side at all times. It is still not time for Howl to find out."

Heen huffed in response, his image slowly leaving the crystal ball.

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It's a new day and the view of the Waste outside the window looked surprisingly picturesque.

"Mama, why are we here?" asked Morgan, while her mother combed her raven locks.

Sophie sighed as she will be facing a new set of questions that she couldn't answer. Last night, Morgan ended up tiring herself asking questions about how they managed to leave the kitchens of the royal palace in a snap. The little girl constantly asked if it was magic that brought them to where they are now and Sophie had no choice but to comply. Much to Sophie's dismay, she could no longer avoid speaking to her daughter about magic as they are both in a place where magic lingered in every corner.

"I'm sorry, Morgan. I don't know the reason why we're here" answered Sophie. She, herself, wanted an answer to that question.

"Did Markl's master bring us here?"

"I believe so, my dear."

"Why did he do that?"

"I don't know, my dear." Knowing full well that her daughter would no longer be satisfied with her short uninformative answers, Sophie added, "Maybe your friend Markl asked his master to bring you here because he wants to spend some time with you. You do want that don't you?"

"Yes mama!" Morgan exclaimed. "But why isn't Auntie Lettie here as well?"

The question led Sophie to worry about her dear sister. She would be in hysterics right now, not knowing what to do. "She didn't want to come since there is lots of work to do in the royal kitchens". Sophie had no choice but to lie.

The conversation between Sophie and Morgan was interrupted by someone knocking on the door.

"Miss Sophie, it's Markl," the voice called out.

Sophie told Markl to come into the room and as he entered, Morgan's eyes lit with excitement.

After waving with a bright smile to Morgan, he said, "Master Howl made breakfast and it's waiting for you downstairs, Miss Sophie."

"Thank you Markl. We'll be right down", replied Sophie.

As Markl left the room, Morgan quickly asked, "Mama, can I play with Markl after breakfast?"

"Sure thing, sweetie", said Sophie. "_That is, if we're not locked in this room after eating breakfast"_, she thought.

Sophie was surprised that she and her daughter can actually leave the room, when Howl made it clear last night that they weren't allowed to leave it. She couldn't help but feel furious towards him. He was all friendly and pleasant yesterday morning then turned bossy and domineering at the moment they stepped foot on his castle. But Sophie had to contain her anger. It is not right to let off some steam over breakfast. She doesn't want Morgan to see her mad.

As Sophie and Morgan descended down the stairs the aroma of newly cooked breakfast lingered in the air, enticing their empty stomachs. Nearing the dining table, laden with towers of spell books and parchments all pushed to once side of the table as to make room for the four plates of bacon and eggs and four cups of tea, they were greeted warmly by the owner of the castle. Sophie returned the greeting stoically, showing no emotion.

"Guests, have a seat and enjoy your meal" said Howl, pulling out a chair for Sophie and Morgan. "I'm afraid I can't join you as I need to head off early." Now turning to Markl, he said, "After our guests have eaten, please give them the new clothes I've bought. I'm sure they've got no change of clothes." Walking out of the magic door, he continued, "Don't forget to clean up and make sure our guests are comfortable. Good day to you all."

Calcifer watched Howl with interest. '_I think I struck a chord with him last night,'_ he thought. '_What made him so nice all of a sudden?' _ Getting tired of being ignored, he asked out loud, "Is it right that you all eat while here I am working like a slave? Running a castle isn't exactly a walk in the park."

"Look Mama! The fire is talking!" cried Morgan, looking thrilled.

Sophie looked at what her daughter was pointing to with so much dread. It was the talking fire that spooked the living daylights out of her years ago.

"That's Calcifer" said Markl, his mouth full of food. "He's a fire demon."

"The most powerful fire demon, I must add", boasted Calcifer.

Morgan stood up from her seat and headed towards the fire grate, leaving her mother very nervous. "Wow! A fire demon!" she exclaimed. Wanting to introduce herself, she said with a wide smile, "Hi Calcifer! My name is Morgan. It's very nice to meet you."

The morning progressed with Morgan bombarding Calcifer with questions, while Sophie helped Markl clean up. Sophie never dared to go near the fire demon.

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Walking towards his old mentor, Howl asked, "What is it now, Madame Suliman?"

"Good morning to you, too, Howl" replied the head sorcerer, ignoring Howl's hostility. "Since I haven't heard from you after the last time we met, I presume you still haven't found the person I asked you to seek."

"That is what you should expect after being given vague descriptions of the person."

"Well then, I've gathered new information about the person's whereabouts. She has been found numerous times here inside the palace. I've also gathered that she is no royalty. She is just a plain commoner."

Howl spoke with cynicism in his voice. "If this person was seen here inside the palace, couldn't you have found her already?"

"Howl, I set this task upon you."

Howl decided to take the conversation into a different direction. "Speaking of tasks, it seems that your errand dog has one of his own. What could you possibly want with a single mother and her child?"

"I'm not as oblivious as you think. It's not hard to figure out that the little girl is your daughter. She's a splitting image of you when you were still a child."

"So what do you want with my child? Did you suddenly fancy of having another apprentice since I've proven to be a lost cause?"

"As I caught sight of your daughter when she and her family first came here in Kingsbury, I knew you were in search of her and her mother. With their help, I am finally able to keep a watchful eye on you and see how you progressed with the task I set you out to do. You see, it is a very important task. Run along now and find her. You may go."

Having been dismissed, Howl walked out with his mind clouded with thoughts. Madame Suliman might have provided answers for his suspicions, but Howl knew that there is more to her scheme than what she explained. He pushed that thought behind, wanting to focus on something that he has to rid off fast. He wasn't at all happy with the leash that was placed upon him. This means, he must complete the task that was set upon him and figure out a way of removing the binding spell between Madame Suliman's errand dog and his child.

He'll have to spend the whole day lurking around the palace. The 'powerful' person must either be someone that works for the palace or someone that takes frequent trips to the palace for business purposes.

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After a long day of searching, Howl didn't feel any powerful presence within the walls of the palace. It's possible that he searched the palace on a wrong day, when the person he's looking for didn't go to work or didn't make a trip to the palace. He'll have to search the palace for a number of days.

Feeling exhausted, he returned to the castle, had a few words with Calcifer then proceeded upstairs for his relaxing hot bath.

As he headed to his room after he let his thoughts simmer in warm fragrant water, Howl saw the door of Sophie and Morgan's bedroom left open. Inside, he saw Sophie mending the clothes he had given her.

He lightly knocked on the door, so as to not wake up Morgan. As Sophie looked up at him, he said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but why are you still awake at this late hour?"

"I'll sleep when I get tired", answered Sophie. She looked back towards what she was doing and continued sewing. "Thank you for the clothes, by the way."

"It's my pleasure. I do hope they are to your liking."

Sophie didn't say a word back, which left Howl to utter, "I do understand your contempt and I deserve it. What I did, I had no choice but to do it."

"You had no choice?" Sophie was now looking up again at Howl with inquisitive piercing eyes. "What do you mean by that?" she hissed.

"How else am I going anywhere near my child?"

Sophie couldn't believe what she just heard. "Your ch-child?" she stuttered.

Howl couldn't help but enjoy the sudden change of Sophie's composure. "Yes. I do believe her name is Morgan, right?" The next thing he knew he was being pulled out from the room and was dragged along the hallway.

Sophie stopped and turned back to Howl, her temper rising. "What made you think that she's your child?"

"It wasn't really that hard to figure out. She inherited my dashing good looks."

"You can't just breeze into my life and claim that's not yours! What's going on in that thick head of yours, that you suddenly had the urge to see Morgan? How dare you do this to us, you unfeeling, egotistical – "

Sophie's ranting was cut off as Howl grabbed hold on her face and planted a kiss on her lips.

---------------------------------

_**A/N:**__ I'm sure that you guys are aware that I don't update frequently. I basically write when inspiration kicks in and I'm not drowning with school work. Unfortunately it only happens on rare occasions. I really want to finish this story though and I'll do it as fast as I can. Hopefully that's okay with you guys. _

_I'm so sorry for the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. I only had time to read this through once, since I wanted to post this as soon as possible. Thank you so much for reading this story! __Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review the last chapter:__** avidlydreaming, Voughn, CharmedLostie4ever, scubarang, little princess of mercury, sveta89, RedWingedAngel002, Cat Claw, luchia233, Kimiko OH snap!!, helikesitheymikey, Star Garden, kweebird, Lunarain 137, bluebear13sq, Synonymous Brian, Lup, reader, kiwadoi seiitsu, ninjapirate6, Biminigirl15, moongirlSelene99, Xoroth, LadySafire. **_

_Thanks also to the people who put my story in their story alerts and favourites! __Love you all!_

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


	9. VII: Unknown Intentions

_**A/N:**__ Here's the latest chapter! I'm terribly sorry for the very long wait. I hope this chapter is to your liking. Happy reading!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Howl's Moving Castle. The novel is by Diane Wynne Jones while the film was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. _

--

**Chapter 8 – Unknown Intentions**

It was dawn the next morning. Howl was lying still on his bed, his eyes staring blankly up the ceiling, unwavered by the intricate silhouettes and constant ticking of the numerous magical instruments cramped inside his room. His confrontation with Sophie kept him awake all night.

Bringing up his hand to his left cheek, the tingling pain was now faint. There was no doubt that he deserved the slap on the face. He sure did surprise Sophie, by forcefully giving her a kiss. But most importantly, he was surprised himself why he did such a thing. His actions have always been planned and well-thought of and it was very uncharacteristic of him to suddenly act on impulse. Looking back, it seems that being with Sophie caused him to be someone he doesn't recognize.

The 'accidental' kiss, as Howl wants to put it, caused him some problems. It had aggravated Sophie even more, and he didn't want that. It wasn't part of the plan.

It was inevitable that Sophie would find out that Howl does indeed know about Morgan, so Howl decided to bring it up first hand. He expected that he would receive a negative reaction from Sophie and had thought about how he would handle it. It is important that he patched things up with Sophie, so he'll be able to calmly and freely observe the child. Due to his stupid mistake, he created a much hefty conflict with Sophie and he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

With a new plan for the day in mind, he slid out of bed and hurried to make preparations.

--

When Sophie and Morgan descended the stairs, Howl quickly greeted them both. "Good morning!" Walking towards the foot of the stairs, he added, "Good morning, especially to you, Morgan."

Taken aback by the attention Markl's master was giving her, Morgan shyly replied. "Good morning Mr. Wizard, sir."

Howl laughed at how he was addressed. "Oh, you don't have to call me that." With a sneaky grin, he continued. "You can call me Papa or Daddy perhaps."

"Papa?" Morgan repeated, with confusion evident in her face.

Howl's remark jostled Sophie out of her composure. _How dare he say something like that, especially infront of Morgan?_, she thought. She quickly interrupted. "Don't listen to him, Morgan. Papa isn't his name".

Howl roared with laughter even louder. It amused him how little it takes to irritate Sophie. "Lighten up Sophie. I was only joking." Now looking back at Morgan, he said, Just call me Howl, little one."

Thinking that she made some silly mistake causing Markl's master to laugh, Morgan became embarrassed. With a meek voice, she replied, "Yes, Mr. Howl."

Looking up at her mother for some guidance on what she was supposed to do, Morgan saw her mother cast a furtive glare at Howl and wondered why her mother looked so angry. When she was about to ask her mother what's wrong, her attention was once again averted when Howl asked her, "Would you like to go to a picnic today, Morgan? It's such a nice day. We wouldn't want it to go to waste."

Just as expected by Howl, Markl interrupted with so much excitement in his voice. "Are we really going, Master Howl? Are we really?"

"If Sophie and Morgan would come with us, we will. They are our guests, we got to show them around and make sure they're having fun while they're staying with us."

"It'll be fun, Morgan!" chirped Markl. "Please join us Miss Sophie!"

Sophie shot another furtive glare at Howl, suspicious of his intentions. She knew that her daughter is very keen on spending the day with Markl, so she had no choice but to agree, which lead to the squeals of excitement from Morgan and Markl, and a warm smile from Howl.

"That's settled then." There was no doubt in Howl's mind that Markl would do a good job of convincing Morgan to come, leaving Sophie to comply to her daughter's wishes. Casting his attention to the fire demon lazily watching the people in the room, he commanded, "Head to Star Lake, Calcifer."

"And what about me, huh? You're just going to leave me here, while you're out enjoying the sun?" Calcifer asked in a sulky tone.

"You can come with us if you're willing to leave the fire grate" answered Howl, letting the usual routine of bickering to take over.

"And you're going to pin the blame on me if the castle suddenly collapses. 'You chose to leave the castle yourself', you'll say."

"Give it a break, Calcifer. There's no time to argue. We better start preparing and get out of here before you get even more agitated."

Grumbling, Calcifer did what he was told.

--

It was indeed a beautiful day. The water was calm and pristine clear, mirroring the glorious sun and the white feathery clouds adjourning the periwinkle sky. The leaves were rustling and the flowers were swaying in tune to the rhythm of the wind.

Holding up a kite, Markl and Morgan asked permission to play. Hearing this, Sophie stood up and proceeded to follow the children. Remembering the past night, she was in no state of wanting to be left alone with Howl. She knew that he was up to something and there's no way she's taking part of it or worse, be a victim of it.

But much to her dismay, Howl called after her. "Sophie. There's no need to follow the children. You might end up spoiling their fun."

"I'd feel more at ease if I watch over the children."

"Come on, Sophie. Stay. I won't bite", said Howl, with a mischievous smile upon his face.

Rolling her eyes, Sophie replied, "Oh please. Stop it with your nonsense."

"Fine. Fine. I'll be more serious. Honestly, I just want to have a civilized conversation with you. I know our last conversation didn't end so well. I just want to have a chance to explain myself."

Heaving a sigh, Sophie sat back down on the picnic blanket.

"I'm sorry about last night." Howl started. "I got carried away, and kissing you without permission was uncalled for."

"Is that how you handle arguments? Whenever you're losing, you simply do something to divert the attention of the other person and reclaim your ground by making them feel vulnerable."

"What if it was a 'spur of the moment' thing, that I suddenly remembered how besotted I was of you the time we met?"

A faint tinge of pink crept up on Sophie's face. "Oh don't you remind me of that!", she exclaimed, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You said you were going to be serious."

Howl noticed Sophie's flushed cheeks and inwardly smiled. "Do you regret everything that has happened after that night?"

"I believe that that is none of your business."

Howl didn't expect any other answer to his question. As a matter of fact, he's curious as to what the answer to that question is. Realizing that it was the cue for him to stop the topic, he moved on saying, "Well, I'm sorry for leaving you to take care of Morgan alone."

Sophie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I don't know that suddenly got into your head, but I was the one who left, didn't I? Why are you doing all this anyway? If you're thinking that you owe me, you thought wrong."

"Let's just say, I'm changing the direction of my life to what it should have gone to in the first place."

--

Back at the palace kitchens, it was still busy as ever. Pots and pans clattered and knives were swiftly hitting against the chopping boards, while steam hovered around.

Lettie, on the other hand, was working even harder than others. It doesn't come as a surprise since everyone in the kitchen knew that the head cook was giving Lettie a hard time. It was due to Sophie leaving unexpectedly without explaining her coming absence in person.

Lettie told the head cook that Morgan had gotten really sick, and both the mother and child returned home. She explained that with the city so busy, and the prices for a doctor and prescribed medicines being so high, Sophie had no choice but to bring Morgan back home to Market Chipping, where help would be much easier to come by.

There was no way that she'll tell that head cook that her sister and niece were kidnapped by Wizard Howl, since Wizard's Howl reputation has always been a well known tale to scare off women. No one would ever believe her. But, of course, Prince Justin was an exception.

Prince Justin offered to explain to the head cook of Sophie's situation but Lettie refused, saying that he's already doing so much for her family by helping her find her sister and niece. He offered constant help that everyday he would suddenly pop up wanting to talk about Sophie's situation and how we was working out the dilemma. Lettie knew that Wizard Howl was the culprit and Prince Justin didn't doubt her word. So while Prince Justin scavenged for information inside the palace, Lettie kept her ears open to all myths and scandals roaming around the city by word of mouth, involving the infamous wizard. There was a chance that some of the stories have some truth in them.

With all the time and effort that Prince Justin has put in to find her sister, it was obvious that the Prince harboured feelings for Sophie. Lettie can't help but be very thankful to the prince but she doesn't agree with the blossoming relationship between the two, as it would just lead hardships Sophie. The royal family won't accept her, especially if they find out that she is a single mother with an illegitimate child. It'll be a scandal, ruining both parties' reputations. For Prince Justin and Sophie to have a happy life is much like a fairy tale and it doesn't apply to the real world.

Thinking about where her sister and her dear little niece could be, Lettie dreaded that Sophie is in so much pain, being with the man that caused her life to take such a huge turn. What could have entered Wizard Howl's mind to suddenly take Sophie and Morgan like that? For the past years, Sophie kept insisting that the man doesn't know about Morgan, but judging by his actions, Lettie thought otherwise. But what could he possibly want with her sister and her dear little niece? Wizard Howl's intentions were way unfathomable to decipher.

It would be a nice thought of having the family together again, with Morgan living with both her father and mother. But Lettie doesn't agree with Howl's absence when Morgan was growing up. She had to admit that it wasn't his fault, but his reputation of being a womanizer clouds her overall judgment.

Who would she want Sophie to end up with? Prince Justin or Wizard Howl?

--

With the picnic finished and everything was packed away, Howl was notified by Heen that Madame Suliman calls for his presence urgently. Arriving at his old mentor's room, he prepared to be lectured.

"I hear that you happened to commit a kidnapping of a mother and child a few days ago. His Highness, Prince Justin, himself came to ask me for details about you. Did you have any idea that the mother and His Highness are friends? How is it that you managed to get into his bad side?"

Howl answered, "If that mutt of yours is doing a good job, you'd know by now that I simply am minding my own personal business, or should I say, family matters. Aren't you happy that you can finally keep a watchful eye on me?"

"You foolish man! You didn't have to abduct the mother and child right under the nose of the Prince! What are you thinking?"

"What is wrong with simply wanting a family reunion?"

"His Highness doesn't know that!" Rubbing her temples, she thought of a plan. "Keep the mother and child under your wing and keep them well hidden. This problem will be solved when it'll be made known to the prince that the mother and child went to you at their own accord. You have to earn their affection. I am fully aware of your reputation with women. I believe taking the mother under your spell wouldn't be too hard."

"And the task?" asked Howl.

"Of course you're not getting out of it. You have to proceed with the task as usual."

"And roam around the palace, just to be caught by the Prince?"

Madame Suliman looked at Howl with intolerant eyes. "You never cease to test my patience do you? You're a wizard. Figure it out. You're dismissed."

--

Meanwhile, back in the moving castle, Sophie was preparing Morgan for bed. Her daughter had an enjoyable afternoon and she had to admit that she did too. The beautiful day freed her from all worries, even just for a little while, and was finally able to take pleasure in life.

Remembering what he said earlier, _I'm changing the direction of my life to what it should have gone to in the first place_, Sophie heard some sincerity in Howl's words. As she watched her daughter being entertained by him, telling her funny anecdotes and showing her little magic tricks, she asked herself. _Was this what he meant? Does he want to be a father to Morgan? _Howl's actions are truly astounding, but should Sophie keep her defenses up and stay cautious? There's no harm being done, right?

"Mama, how long are we staying here in Mr. Howl's house?" asked Morgan, interrupting Sophie's thoughts.

"Why, my dear? Do you want to go home?"

"Oh no, mama! I like it here very much. I like Markl, Calcifer and I like Mr. Howl, too! Do you think Mr. Howl will let us stay for longer?"

Seeing her daughter so happy, Sophie answered with a sigh, "I don't know, my dear."

As Sophie, kissed her daughter goodnight, she settled down on the rocking chair by the window and closed her eyes. Deep in her thoughts, she pleaded. _'Someone, please, explain to me what is happening.'_

--

_**A/N:**__ I'm so glad that I was finally able to upload this chapter. The ideas behind this chapter nearly rotted since it took a long while to finally able to write it up. _

_As usual, I'm so sorry for the grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Thank you so much for reading this story! Any thoughts, suggestions and criticisms are greatly appreciated! _

_Thanks to the following people who took time to review the last chapter:__** Ain soph auir, entity.unknown, Mittelan, Mint Tea Rose, lovestoread, cherryblossom64, helikesitheymikey, Au Kudo, jin-chai, Sakimi1014, Aliella Otonashi, Rayar, Mei fa-chan, TickxTock, Xoroth, RedWingedAngel002, Readerfreak10, Kimiko OH snap!!, Lup, Lunarain 137, Schirach, coco-san, Synonymous Brian, kiwadoi seiitsu, ninjapirate6, avidlydreaming, Biminigirl15, Misty Voughn.**_

_Thanks also to the people who put my story in their story alerts and favourites! __Love you all!_

_Take care people!_

_**elena-maria**_


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